Although L K Advani says his rath, laden with Hindu symbolism, will carry the message of development and good governance as it trundles towards Ayodhya this week, his political pilgrimage is bound to highlight once again the interplay of religion and politics. Tracking the pulse of the voters in the charged campaign, a Times of India-TNS poll finds that a majority of people in cities and towns are firmly for keeping Indian elections on a secular foundation. Across India they blame parties for polluting politics with religion and more than 80% of the polled voters do not justify using religion for politics.
About 40% of respondents in 16 states say that all parties use religious issues equally and 48% say some parties use religion more than others do. The feeling that religion is used or abused in politics is most widespread in the West — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — where BJP holds greater sway, and least in eastern India, where the party hasn't yet made major inroads. Nearly half the voters interviewed earlier this month realise that the emotive value of focusing on religion distracts from bijli, pani, sadak issues during an election and a little less than half say political parties will not succeed in keeping real issues out of the campaign by waving the banner of religion.
Despite the widespread belief that BJP rose to power by effectively using religion in the 1980s and 90s, opinion is now divided on whether religion does actually help parties gain more votes. At 49%, slightly more people agree that it does while 44% voters nationwide say it has not helped. In the north, an overwhelming majority of 60% see religion as a sure way of gaining ballots while in the south, where a majority blames political parties for using religion, a huge proportion feels it doesn't translate into votes.
The poll, which will be repeated again closer to election days, shows nearly three-quarters of people abhor parties and politicians making religious campaign promises and suggest a ban on such enticements. Eighteen percent of the respondents are against such a ban, 7% are undecided.
But the survey finds that most people aren't sure what secularism means. A little more than one-fourth think it translates to not differentiating between religions and 6% think it means giving all religion equal rights.
In a clear call for keeping religion in the private sphere, most respondents, 73%, said "yes" when asked whether there should be religion-based quotas in the government or schools and colleges. The feeling against such quotas was markedly stronger in the north and tapered off slightly as the pollsters went to the west and south.