Partition literature in the subcontinent is also inadequate and lacking in scholarly rigour. The frameworks are generally flawed, for they preclude serious examination of the impact of colonial policies, the rise and the impact of Hindu and Muslim revivalist movements, the creation of religious identities, and the intra- class competition for a greater share in the emerging power structures. Most authors are concerned to fault the other. Some act as spokesmen and advocates for the Congress or Muslim League creed. Apologists claim that partition has allowed the fulfilment of legitimate aspirations.
Critics condemn it for multilating historic national entities.
Hence mutually hostile camps are pitched in the arena of historiography. India politicians and on party statements and resolutions has reduced many discussions to mutual accusations and recriminations. At a time when secularism as a concept and as a state policy is under critical scrutiny, it is worth examining not just the theory but the strength and fragility of the secular experiment over the last four decades. At a time when some regard Hindutva as the new mode of civil society, it is imperative to ask how and why this is so. India Contact the Web Page Maintainer for comments, questions, or ideas.