• Salman Khurshid

In an attempt to describe contemporary India, as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, the word that comes to mind as apt description is ‘contradiction’. India’s emergence as an economic reality for the world, a significant military power, a source of vast intellectual and professional talent, an impactful diaspora across the globe is all too well-noted and admitted. Yet we remain plagued by poverty with huge sections of our population dependent on free rations in addition to elections targeted handouts that do not necessarily qualify as productive welfare measures. Speaking of electoral record, we can speak of taking credit for the largest election exercise in the world but the Opposition has been engaged in an unrelenting campaign against the Election Commission of India for large scale manipulation of votes at all stages of the electoral process. The claims of ease of business lie in shambles at the office of the Enforcement Directorate along with the professed faith in the free and fair elections where the most valued peoples’ representation itself is hijacked under agency pressure. We are ‘free to give up our freedom’ seems to be the prevailing sentiment. Our claim to be Vishvaguru has been dragged out of the classrooms by Gen Z into the streets for lessons like never taught before. We are Vishvamitr but when we tried to teach Pakistan a lesson by targeting terrorist infrastructure, we were barely able to count friends on our fingers. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Shri Rahul Gandhi has tirelessly raised issues within Parliament and in the, most public, the most recent and urged are matters of security, internal and external, the unwarranted use of lethal weapons against, unarmed protesting young persons, many in their teens, and the cynical response to questions about the integrity of religious institutions that are held in pious esteem by hundreds of thousand people. In summary then, it is a messy picture of contradiction and conflict. What was supposed to be good times has turned into a constant nightmare.

Although the Congress Party led from the front by the young Shri Rahul Gandhi and the experienced Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has pushed hard to hold back the tide of misadventures of the government, we are acutely conscious that the people of India are or soon will expect alternative ideas of making India rise again beyond conflict and contradiction; ensuring peace, comfort, goodwill and justice to young and old, well-off and disadvantaged, farmer and labour, common citizens and public intellectuals, children and students, Dalits, Backwards, Minorities, Women. Welfare will not be a concession but a right; roti, kapra, makan, rozgar will be minimum guarantee to all; vote will be sacred; we will no longer hear, ‘dete hain Bhagwan ko dhoka, wo insaan ko kyun chorenge’. Clearly, while we have issues of daily life to address we should not shy away from the duty we owe to Almighty. The rightful and dutiful place of God in our personal life as distinct from dragging God in our public life beyond discreet obeisance must now be addressed. The rightful place of God and religion as indeed of democratic institutions is very beautifully displayed in the Constitution. But just as sangat, Jamaat and congregation of faithful are important to worship, so is convergence for democracy. As we take cognizance of the threat to democracy, we must rededicate our endeavour to preserve and protect democratic faith. Whilst democracy gives us the opportunity to seek our respective expectation, coming together in the defence of democracy is a sacred obligation. The groundwork for united effort has been laid for several months and been tested at the last general election as well. Foresight and faith is the need of the hour. We have repeatedly seen unwillingness to share, leading to unimaginable loss. It is now not a matter of expedience and convenience but of a place in history. To those who use their power to rewrite history books to falsify facts must now be shown how the spirit of sacrifice writes history upon the hearts of people. Such an etched story of our times will not succumb to the vile brushes of interpolators. We are a generation that missed being part of the national movement, we find ourselves unable to be part of Gen Z but support them for their effort. But piecing the past with the present to create a future is our destiny. Our enlightened and bold leader in Shri Rahul Gandhi has shown the path of destiny. Let us recall how Jawaharlal Nehru quoted Robert Frost about ‘the woods are lovely, dark and deep; but I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep.’ So, no sleep now, no sleep till we reach our national destiny.

It is evident that the coming together of all who believe in true democracy prevailing requires both head and heart. There is much that the head tells us but it is equally important that the heart makes its contribution. The real transformation of our society and its politics will happen when we revive compassion and concern, competence and capability, character and charisma, culture and courtesy. Along the way as a nation we will have to introspect on the meaning of justice, equality, liberty and fraternity, the four pillars of the constitutional Preamble. All that we believe in and rely upon in our national existence, including our religious affiliation, are all part of and secured by the Constitution. The copy held up by Shri Rahul Gandhi each time he exhorted citizens to uphold constitutional values, are etched upon the soul of our nation. On one side there is lip service and on ours a deep commitment to the noble book without which there is no meaning of being Indians. Thus, this is a defining moment for us.

The author is a Chairperson, AICC Foreign Affairs Department, and Member, Editorial Board Congress Sandesh