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From: PRADEEP DESHPANDE <npdeshpande@vsnl.net> To: India Thinkers Net at Zinester.com > Dr.Ram Puniyani's article on Legacy of Nehru has come out in right spirit at right time.Would like share as follows; 1. P.Nehru's committment to Secular democratic build up of India was and is beyond doubts.His Tryst with Destiny speaks out well. He also tried his best to weave progressive capitalism and socialism together for India in the making.Though he as an individual and national leader was outright secular, his well known Nehruvian Model of planned economic development of independent India was more or less confined to introduce secularism in Govt./organised sectors and Governing/elected bodies and it worked initially well till his death in 1964.These sectors were not known to discriminate the working lot that joined the G/o sectors on the basis of religion,caste, race and gender which was quite in line with provision made in Indian Constitution.So part of credit should also pass to Dr.Ambedkar and his unique social reformist movement that helped raise social comon sense and status of the deprived sections he represented. 2. Mahatma Gandhi on the other hand tried to strengthen already prevailant secular set up of mind in Indian society; there had been historically, NO enimity of any kind between two or more religions and panths that co existed with no need to dominate the other as the followers materially and literally belonged to the same socio-eco. class.His line of thought and action was directed towards consolidating and empowering these very Indian sections and inculcate in them a sense of One India One people. The move proved to be highly political that later on could challenge legacy of British imperialism to rule a country that had not even disturbed it's(British) sleep or made any demand.It's his life long effort to maintain Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava ( secualarisation of communties) that needed no political power the way Nehru had sought to secularise the ruling community and Gandhi kept himself miles away from ruling class.It was his alert analysis to dissolve Congress and get the associates to take up constructive programmes for building India from bottom. Nehru did the things all in contrast to what Ganghi opted for and Gandhi didn't have grudge over Nehru's plan to maintain Congress as a political party that also well represented the classes both Gandhi and Ambedkar preferred most. 3.May be the melodramatic end of India's struggle for freedom in the form of partition on purely communal lines ( some call it religion based divide which is not correct as religion is quite distinct from communalism) frustrated Nehru and he turned out to be an advocate for pro-west type secular democracy during his long tenure as first PM.During his regime secular intiatives did take place at both political and economic development areas.But the secularisation process that otherwise should have paved broadened ways to involve the deprived sections including Muslims that preferred to stay home was not officially encouraged giving substantial room to reactionary forces to inflate slowly but steadily. 4. When Nehru opted to have a strong political system at the Centre and relatively weaker state mechanism that made the latters to depend on former during the following years, what we witness today is exactly the opposite where the Centre is getting weak and need to survive on support or alliance from other political parties and the state/regional parties collecting their strength. For society, the division on communal lines is much in progress irrespective of states they belong to. 5. As it may, we see a stark naked picture that illustrates political and economic powers being consolidated as a new form of ruling class in modern India irrespective of pol.parties and/or their constrasting idealogies they represent and advocate. All boast and claim to be secular but least concerned with ever growing communal politics the end result of which is pogroms and heavy loss to national wealth and properties . 6.It also means we have all to start from Sq.One again ;secularisation of communities by raising social consciousness of the Indian citizens and empower them in way they themselves would rise to the cause and ask for a secular Govt.in true sense. 7.We are most obliged to Gandhiji, Pandit Nehru and Dr.Ambedkar for their respective contributions.But these human souls are no more with us to address and redress our burning issues.Let's pave our own ways. The most fitting reply to the process of communal politics is to develop a process of secularisation of communities who have nothing to lose but keep from hating each others on communal lines and this is an area we can role play G/N/A. |
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| << December05, 2003 - [India Thinkers Net] Trishul to darkness |
December07, 2003 - [India Thinkers Net]Censorship: Unofficial might >> |
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