ABSTRACT
This chapter comprehends the concepts of multiculturalism and social exclusion and deliberates upon the possibilities of their implementation in a democracy like India which operates primarily on the principles of liberalism and modernism. Critically examining the policies of the Muslims, it discusses limitations of the modern liberal framework for addressing pressing issues confronting the minority communities like the Muslims in India. The academic discourse on social exclusion attributed a people-oriented wider meaning to the concept. The policies of Indian state reveal an ambiguous approach towards minority communities revealing what Michael Kammen calls 'dialectics of pluralism and conformity'. The Committee members appear aware of the need to bring in structural changes to meet problems of the minorities caused by the structures of inequality operating in the capitalist society.
