1. I am happy to be
in Kerala to deliver the 6th Memorial Lecture in honour of eminent
lawyer and former Member of the Kerala Public Men Inquiry Commission, Shri K.S.
Rajamony.
2.
I
have visited Kerala many times in different capacities during my public life.
It has been the gateway to India for traders and religious missionaries from
different parts of the globe. The people of Kerala are known for their
progressive thinking. The State’s impressive achievements in the field of
literacy, education, health, gender equality, tourism and culture have brought
it global acclaim.
3.
The
Kerala High Court, its Judges as well as lawyers enjoy high reputation across
the country. Luminaries like Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer made very valuable
contributions in delivery of justice to the poor and underprivileged.
4.
The
topic of today’s lecture is India @ 70. This August 15, India will complete
seventy years since we became independent. For 50 years before Independence,
the economic growth rate of India was 0% to 1%. In the fifties, our growth
rate rose to 1 – 2%, the sixties 3 – 4% and in the 90s, with economic reforms,
to 6 to 7%. In the last decade, our growth rate has averaged around 8%, making
us the fastest growing large economy of the world.
5.
India’s Population in 1950 was 360 million. Today, we are a 1.3
billion strong nation. Our annual per capita income has gone up from Rs. 7,500
at the time of independence to over Rs. 77,000. GDP growth rate has risen from
2.3 percent to 7.9 percent in 2015-16. poverty ratio has declined from over 60
percent to less than 25 percent. Average life expectancy has gone up from 31.4
to 68.4 years. Literacy rate has gone up from 18 to 74 percent. food grains
production has gone up from 45 million to an estimated 272 million tonnes in
2016-17.
6.
India
led a ship to mouth existence in the early days of independence. We had to
survive on import of food grains from abroad. Today, we not only produce enough
food grains to feed ourselves but are also exporting the same.
7.
In
1947, we had no industry worth its name. In contrast, today we are the 10th
largest industrialized nation in the world. Our technological base as well as
network of research laboratories and higher education institutions are looked
upon by the world with admiration. India’s space, IT, bio-tech and pharma
industries are of a global standard. Only two weeks back, ISRO set a world record launching 104 satellites into space at one
go, a feat no other country has achieved. We not only reached the Mars in our
very first attempt but also achieved it at a cost far lower than anyone else in
the world.
8.
In the last 70 years, tangible change can be
seen in every aspect of our lives. India has transformed itself from a poor
under-developed nation into the third largest economy in the world in PPP terms
within a short span of seven decades.
9.
Equally
important is our success in consolidating the unity of our nation and our
democracy in the midst of extraordinary challenges and tremendous diversity. We have firmly established within our
country the rule of law, an independent judiciary and vibrant media as well as
civil society. We have also created strong institutions like the Election
Commission and the CAG who stand as pillars of our political system. Every
known religion in the world, over hundred different languages used in everyday
life, 1600 dialects and multiple cultures are united under one flag and one Constitution.
Around 553 million people voted in
the 2014 General Elections, an exercise matched in scale and scope by none else
in the world.
Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,
10.
The most important legacy bequeathed to us by
our founding fathers is our Constitution.
11.
A Constitution is a
charter for the governance of a nation. The notion of what is good governance
must be defined by the need of the times and enriched by the experience of the
decades. Yet, the Constitution enshrines certain timeless values that should
never be compromised. It is against the touchstone of these values that we must
constantly measure our performance.
12.
The Preamble records the
resolve of the people of India to secure to all citizens justice – social,
economic and political as well as liberty, equality and fraternity. It also
establishes the principle of secularism.
13.
Justice – social, economic
and political – is in the life of any nation a journey more than a destination.
To achieve social justice requires not mere governance but a recasting of
mindsets and the transformation of social ethos. That is the job not just of
the legislature, the executive or the courts, but of each one of us.
14.
The ultimate goal of any
democracy is the empowerment of the individual, irrespective of his economic,
religious or social standing. This may appear to be a utopian dream for many,
but the strength of a system lies in its capacity to ceaselessly work for its
accomplishment. The goal of political
justice requires the continuous empowerment of marginalised sections of our
society. We owe ourselves to create a system in which access to politics is not
limited to a privileged few but an average Indian also feels empowered enough
to contribute.
15.
Economic development is
vital to good governance. We cannot distribute wealth which we do not possess.
Therefore, production of wealth must necessarily be one of the predominant
objectives of state policy. However, this must be imbued with the principle of
equality on which there can be no compromise.
16.
An egalitarian society can
only be created when growth is inclusive. It is important to ensure that there
is justice and equality of opportunity and the state does not create conditions
in which the privileged few gain at the cost of the multitudes who suffer endemic
poverty. A sustainable society can only be based on the principles of equity
and justice. The Indian Constitution has been rightly
described as a Magna Carta of socio economic transformation.
17.
When India became independent, many in the world
thought our democratic experiment would never succeed. They looked at our
diversity, poverty as well as the lack of education of our people and predicted
that India would lapse into authoritarian rule or military dictatorship. But,
the people of India proved these prophets of doomsday wrong.
18.
Yet,
we must be conscious of the fact that our democracy requires
constant nurturing. At no cost should we allow the exploitation of the fault
lines. Those who spread violence must remember that Buddha, Ashoka and Akbar
are remembered as heroes in history; not Hitler or Genghis Khan.
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
19.
I do not consider a society or State to be civilised if its
citizens’ behaviour towards women is uncivilised. When we brutalize a woman, we
wound the soul of our civilisation. Not only does our Constitution guarantee
equal rights to women but our culture and tradition also celebrate the feminine
as divine. Protection and safety of our women and children must be a
nationwide priority. The acid test of any society is its attitude towards
women and children. India should not fail this test.
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
20.
There
should be no room in India for the intolerant Indian. India has been since
ancient times a bastion of free thought, speech and expression. Our society
has always been characterized by the open contestation of diverse schools of
thought and debate as well as discussion. Freedom of speech and expression is
one of the most important fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
There must be space for legitimate criticism and dissent.
Friends,
21.
India
was a world leader in the field of education when our Universities like Nalanda
and Takshshila were at the height of their glory. Nalanda and Takshshila are
not mere geographical expressions but representations of the idea for free
thought which flourished in these great Universities of the past. Our premier
institutions of higher education are the vehicles on which India has to propel
itself into a knowledge society. These temples of learning must resound with
creativity and free thinking. Those in Universities must engage in reasoned
discussion and debate rather than propagate a culture of unrest. It is tragic
to see them caught in the vortex of violence and disquiet.
Ladies and gentlemen,
22.
Our
first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru believed that democracy was something
deeper than voting, elections or a political form of government. He said “In
the ultimate analysis, it is a manner of thinking, a manner of action, a manner
of behaviour to your neighbour and to your adversary and opponent.”
23.
Our
leaders and political activists must listen to the people, engage with them,
learn from them and respond to their needs and concerns. Our law makers must
never take the people for granted. They must focus on the fundamental task of
law making and raising of issues of concern to the people as well as finding
solutions to their problems.
24.
Legislation
is the first and foremost responsibility of a Parliamentarian. It is most
unfortunate that time devoted towards legislation has been gradually declining
in our Parliament. To illustrate, the first Lok Sabha from 1952-57 had 677
sittings in which 319 bills were passed. In comParison, the fourteenth Lok
Sabha from 2004-2009 had 332 sittings and passed just 247 bills. The fifteenth
Lok Sabha had 357 sittings and passed 181 bills while the sixteenth Lok Sabha
has had 197 sittings and passed only 111 bills (upto the 10th
session).
25.
Figures
are available for the time lost due to interruptions/adjournments from the Tenth
Lok Sabha (1991-96) onwards. 9.95% of total time was lost due to interruptions
in the Tenth Lok Sabha, 5.28% in the Eleventh Lok Sabha, 11.93% in the Twelfth
Lok Sabha, 18.95% in the Thirteenth Lok Sabha, 19.58% in the Fourteenth Lok
Sabha, a shocking 41.6% in the Fifteenth Lok Sabha and about 16% in the
Sixteenth Lok Sabha (upto the 10th session).
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
26.
No
one who holds any elected office has been invited by the voters to occupy that
office. Each one has gone to the voters and pleaded for their votes and
support. The trust placed by the people in the political system and those
elected should not be betrayed.
27.
Our Legislatures and Parliament must not turn into arenas for
combat. Floor tests are not meant to be muscle tests. The opportunity to
represent the people is not a right or entitlement but a moral obligation and
duty. Our elected representatives owe it to the people of our country to act
as models of exemplary conduct.
Friends,
28.
The
Parliament of India and our Legislative Assemblies are central pillars on which
the edifice of our democracy rests. They are the supreme institutions
comprising of members directly elected by our people. It is through them that
governments are held accountable by the people. If they become dysfunctional,
it results in not just paralysis of those institutions but creates an adverse
impact across the system. The debate and discussions which ought to take place
in the open in the House of Parliament and Assemblies cannot be replicated
elsewhere. When they cease to function effectively, issues spill out onto the
streets. The very basis of our democracy gets undermined.
29.
Let
me read certain extracts from the well known speech made to a Constituent
Assembly on November 25, 1949 by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He said and I quote:
“……however
good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are
called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be,
it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a
good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature
of the Constitution. The Constitution can provide only the organs of State such
as the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. The factors on which the working
of those organs of the State depend are the people and the political parties
they will set up as their instruments to carry out their wishes and their
politics.”
“Will Indians
place the country above their creed or will they place creed above country? I
do not know. But this much is certain that if the parties place creed above
country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be
lost forever. This eventuality we must all resolutely guard against.”
“…..If we wish
to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do?
The first thing in my judgement we must do is to hold fast to constitutional
methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must
abandon the bloody methods of revolution. ……But where constitutional methods
are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods.
These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are
abandoned, the better for us.” (Unquote)
Ladies and Gentlemen,
30.
I recall a famous story of Benjamin Franklin, one of the
founding fathers of the United States. Walking out after conclusion of
deliberations of the Constitution Convention of 1787, a lady, Ms. Pomel of
Philadelphia asked him “Doctor, what have we got, a Republic or Monarchy?”
With no hesitation whatsoever, Benjamin Franklin responded “A Republic, if
you can keep it.”
31.
The
time has come for collective efforts to re-discover
the sense of national purpose and patriotism that alone can lift our nation on
to the road of sustained progress and prosperity. The nation and the people
must always come first. Let us strive to arrest the moral decline in our
society and ensure that our core civilisational values find firm root.
Let us exert ourselves to strengthen India’s pluralism and diversity. Let us
be uncompromising in rooting out violence, prejudice and hatred.
32.
Let
us strive for rapid progress but even as we do so, ensure that the benefits of
economic progress percolate down to the poorest of the poor and those living in
the furthest corners of our country. Let us make the poorest in our land part
of the story of a rising India. Let us embrace education,
skill development and Innovation which will enable us catapult India into the
future and build a knowledge economy, riding the technological wave of the 21st
century.
33.
I
see a very bright future for India. Our Constitutional values, young population
and entrepreneurial abilities as well as capacity for hard work provide us the
fundamentals required for rapid progress as well as the building of a caring
and compassionate society. India has changed dramatically in the last 70
years. I am confident that in the next ten years, we will see even greater
progress as we steer our nation, focused on further strengthening our open,
democratic and inclusive society.
Thank
you,
Jai Hind!
****
AKT/AK/SBP
