Who We are

Welcome to Indian Secular Front ISF

Indian Secular Front The democratic and egalitarian idea of India as envisaged by the Constitution of India has been continuously under serious threat and distortions by different political and reactionary forces. The very idea of ‘We the People of India’ and the constitutional promises have been seriously jeopardized by different political dispositions in order to maintain their narrow electoral interests and social hegemony. As a result even after seven decades of India’s independence we see majority of Indian citizens living under abject socio-economic deprivations in every sphere of individual and collective public life. The paradigms of social representation that operate through a number of exclusionary factors have continued to validate the limited social representation of certain groups of people. There has been tremendous rise and deepening of social and economic inequalities based on caste, religion, gender and other forms of social hierarchies. The so-called ‘mainstream’ political parties have been depriving the under-privileged class of their basic Constitutional rights. The irreparable damage has been done both conceptually and structurally. The unholy nexus of Political and economic elites (mostly upper castes) in the form of hierarchical caste based corporate neo-liberal marketcapitalism have not only been exploiting our natural and human resources for the benefit of the privileged section of the society but also constantly eroding the constitutional values of pluralism and India’s composite culture.The Constitutional tenets of plurality have been perpetually and subtly denied implementation in such a deeply flawed hierarchical socio-economic and political structure. The condition of our beloved West Bengal is equally worsening in every sphere be it economic, social or political. The issues of unemployment and socio-economic marginalization have impacted the overwhelming majority of Bengal’s households. The large chunks of skilled and semi-skilled labour forces have no option other than leaving West Bengal due to acute lack of manufacturing sectors. The acute agrarian crisis and closure of job oriented industries have broken the backbone of state’s economy. This job-less growth model along with Brahmanical social order are not only weakening the Constitutional values and public institutions but also pushing the oppressed communities into severe crisis. The discriminatory NRC and the ethnic definition of exclusionary citizenship debate, lynching, political and targeted violence etc is a part of the larger Hindutva project of dismantling Constitutional rights and equal opportunities. We are conscious and concerned about the deteriorating political crisis in West Bengal, hence it is our prime constitutional and political responsibility to protect our country and state from these fascist, reactionary and neo-liberal economic forces.Unfortunately many so called ‘secular’ parties have been playing the ‘secular-communal’ hide and seek game to maintain their hegemony and narrow electoral gains. It is our constitutional responsibility to assert that Dalits (SC), Adivasi (ST), OBCs, Muslims are not the captive ‘vote bank’ of any political party and should not always stand at the receiving end of factional disputes mechanised by the hegemons of elite social and political power. Their Constitutional rights are their privilege that empower them to fight for their social dignity and equality. ISF is principally committed to Constitutional values of democracy, secularism, social justice, substantial equality and fraternity. All these transformative and emancipatory values will guide us towards the path of egalitarian civic life with social justice, dignity and pluralism.