Step 1 - Meaning of the statement:

Indian nationalism did not define the nation in terms of any single religion, language or region. It saw India as a nation made up of many communities, all of whom belonged equally to it.

Step 2 - Inclusiveness of the national movement:

People of all religions, castes, classes, languages and regions took part in the freedom struggle. The Congress consciously sought to represent this diversity rather than any one group.

Step 3 - Democratic vision:

The leaders believed that independent India would be a democracy in which every citizen would have equal rights and an equal voice, regardless of birth. Universal adult franchise was accepted right at the beginning.

Step 4 - Reflection in the Constitution:

This vision was written into the Constitution through fundamental rights, secularism, cultural and educational rights for minorities, and the abolition of untouchability.

Step 5 - Contrast with the other trend:

There was also a narrower trend which defined the nation in religious terms and which finally led to the demand for Partition. But the dominant trend remained the inclusive one, and it shaped independent India.