Religion is deeply woven into the fabric of the Indian society. They are tightly bound together. Being a secular state, the constitution mandates all people be treated equally and fairly regardless of their religious identities. In spite of this, politicians exploit religion for electoral advantage. On the grass root level, the society coexists beautifully however the bigger picture often narrates a different story. Communal riots although rare are still an obstacle to achieving religious harmony. Religion does not influence politics rather it is politics that control the strings that bind people to religion. Looking at the political state of the nation, there is very little tolerance towards religious diversity and more extremism and communalism than ever before.

However, modern politics is not solely to blame, the whole idea behind the creation of Pakistan was to divide India. The British thrived on their divide and rule policy, much like the politicians today.
Consider this, there are more religious institutions in the country than educational ones. India, that was once the temple of education has taken a back seat in this field now. To conclude, someone rightly said that when Indians are told cast your vote they hear vote your caste.