NEW DELHI, Feb. 19 -- If the last breath of secularism was on January 22, 2024, when PM Modi adorned the role of a Hindu high priest, the burial took place on February 10, 2024, when the Lok Sabha adopted a resolution extolling the construction and consecration of Ram Mandir as a "historic and glorious achievement of the country". For the first time in the history of democratic India, such a resolution showering praises on a particular religious event was passed by the lower house of parliament.

The resolution said that the country's democratic and constitutional values of justice for all have been inspired by the ideals of "Ram Rajya". Unfortunately, Modi's "Ram Rajya" is entirely different from the "Ram Rajya" of Mahatma Gandhi. While ...