Shashi Tharoor in Kolkata: Indians must choose a new India that embodies hope
Kolkata: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said in Kolkata that when the country goes to the polls next year Indians must choose a new India that embodies hope and not one that promotes fear.
Tharoor was speaking at the 3rd Chidananda Dasgupta Memorial Lecture in Kolkata on the topic ‘India from Midnight to Millennium’. Talking on the idea of a ‘New India’, he said that it is the idea of one nation made up of different kinds of people who accept each other for who they are. ‘An India where it does not matter what religion you practice, what language you speak, what caste you are born into, what colour your skin is. In our new India what should matter is that one is Indian,’ he asserted.
He warned that this idea of India is under threat today from those who seek not just to rule India but to take over India’s very heart and soul. Alluding to the incumbent Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: ‘We want unity, they want uniformity. We believe in uniting our people but they seek to divide us. What we need is strengthening of democratic institutions at all levels with transparency and accountability enforced through the Right to Information Act and an Act of parliament. They have sought to weaken these institutions, hollow out the RTI and disregard Parliament and promote increasingly one-man rule.’
‘We require a leadership that empowers people and harnesses their collective strength in the pursuit of national objectives and not someone who sees people as instruments of his own power,’ he remarked.
The MP emphasised: ‘We must never speak of India shining without asking whom India is shining for. Our new India must follow policies that both promote higher economic growth and also ensure the benefits of the growth are enjoyed by the poor and disadvantaged sections of our society. The choice is clear. We can have a new India that belongs to all of us led by a government who works for all of us, or we can have a new India that belongs to some and serves the interest of a few.’
‘As we enter the 77th year of our Independence, there is a struggle taking place for India’s soul. Between these two ideas of India, one rests on a narrow conception of Indian-ness. It is intolerant of differences and suspicious of diversity. It seeks revenge upon history by perpetrating new wrongs today. The other idea of India is broader, capacious and inclusive. It accepts difference and embraces diversity. Secure that these are best accommodated in democratic institutions and processes sustained by our constitutionally guaranteed freedom. Which idea prevails will determine the character of the India that will celebrate its centenary a quarter of a century from now on,’ Tharoor said.
