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Indian secularism has been subjected to fierce criticism for the reasons explained below:

(i)Anti-religious: it is often argued that secularism is anti-religious. We hope to have shown that secularism is against institutionalised religious domination. This is not the same as being anti-religious. Similarly, it has been argued by some that secularism threatens religious identity.

(ii)Western Import: A second criticism is that secularism is linked to Christianity, that it is western and therefore unsuited to Indian conditions. The fact is that the secularism has both western and nonwestern origins. In the west, it was the Church-state separation which was central and in countries such as India, the ideas of peaceful co-existence of different religious communities has been important.

(iii)Minoritism: A third accusation against secularism is the charge of minoritism. To make a separate arrangement for them is not to accord them any special treatment. It is to treat them with the same respect and dignity with which all others are being treated. The lesson is that minority rights need not be nor should be viewed as special privileges.

(iv)Interventionist: A fourth criticism claims that secularism is coercive and that it interferes excessively with the religious freedom of communities. Indian secularism follows the concept of principled distance which also allows for noninterference. Besides, interference need not automatically mean coercive intervention.

(v)Vote Bank Politics:  There is the argument that secularism encourages the politics of vote banks. To blame a politician for pursuing a group of people or promising to initiate a policy with the motivation to secure their votes is unfair. If secular politicians who sought the votes of minorities also manage to give them what they want, then this is a success of the secular project which aims, after all, to also protect the interests of the minorities.

(vi)Impossible Project: A final, cynical criticism might be this: Secularism cannot work because it tries to do too much, to find a solution to an intractable problem. . Far from pursuing an impossible objective Indian secularism mirrors the future of the world.