NEW DELHI, Nov 17:
Seeking to reassert Jawaharlal Nehru’s legacy, Sonia Gandhi today said his ideas were under threat from “misrepresentation and distortion”, a veiled attack on BJP, and stressed on the compelling necessity for secularism as Congress sought to reach out to non-NDA parties.
Mamata Banerjee from Trinamool Congress, Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury from CPI-M, former Prime Minister and JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda, JD(U) President Sharad Yadav, CPI’s D Raja, NCP general secretary D P Tripathi attended the conference organised by Congress on the 125th birth anniversary of Nehru.
However, representatives of SP, BSP, DMK, NC and TDP were not present. Though RJD leader Lalu Yadav was not present, party MP Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav was present at the conference
In her opening remarks, the Congress President said the whisper of knowledge about Nehru’s life and work has weakened in recent years in the country, “drowned out by misrepresentation and distortion”.
Holding that secularism, a state neutral in matters of religion, respecting all faiths equally was an article of faith for Nehru, Gandhi said, “…There could be no Indianness, no India, without secularism. Secularism was, and remains, more than an ideal, It is a compelling necessity for a country as diverse as India.”
She also said that Nehru’s belief that only Parliamentary democracy and a secular state could hold the country together in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-linguistic and multi-regional society, has been proved right.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Commemorative International Conference is the first major event organised by the party after its worst-eve drubbing in Lok Sabha polls.
While the Left parties, which supported UPA I government led by Cong had parted ways from it in 2008 on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue, Mamata Banerjee’s party had left the UPA II in September 2012.
This is the first Congress event since then which is being attended by Banerjee as well as the Left parties.
Congress has not invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi or any other BJP leader for the conference.
Holding that Nehru’s achievements were not only for the past and continue to bear fruit, the Congress President said the conference is “not only a commemoration of his 125th birth anniversary, it is an opportunity to reassert the relevance, durability and indispensability of his legacy…
“I hope that this conference will contribute significantly to that objective,” she said.
At a time when the Congress is still struggling to come out of its worst electoral defeat both in Lok Sabha as well as Assembly polls, Gandhi quoted Nehru as saying, “In a democracy, we have known how to win and how to lose with grace.
“Those who win should not allow this to go to their heads; those who lose should not feel dejected.The manner of winning or losing is even more important than the result.It is better to lose in the right way than to win in the wrong way,” Gandhi said.
The conference, which seeks to highlight the legacy and world view of the country’s first Prime Minister is also being attended by a host of international leaders and representatives of various political parties from India and abroad.
Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, John Kufuor of Ghana, General Obasanjo of Nigeria, former Prime Minister Madhav K Nepal of Nepal and Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, Queen Mother of Bhutan, Pakistani rights activist Asma Jehangir, veteran South African freedom fighter Ahmed Kathrada and leadership delegations from 11 political parties across the world were present at the conference.
The New Delhi conference has two subject sessions — Inclusive Democracy and People’s Empowerment, and Nehru’s Worldview and a Democratic Global Order for the 21st century.
The two-day conference will conclude with a commemorative declaration tomorrow, which will will capture the essence of the deliberations and convey a message of global import.
Gandhi recalled that long before Independence, Nehru had articulated adult suffrage, fundamental rights and a secular state as the bedrocks of democracy.
“He nurtured democracy as a mother nurtures her child.He rejected ideologies of coercion that gave primacy to economic development over human rights. Democracy was for him a value to be cherished in itself. He recognised that it was the only way to build sound foundation for a modern economy that be inclusive and participatory,” she said.
Besides, she noted that Nehru was prescient about the “consequences of allowing religion into politics. The truth of his conviction can be seen in the conflicts rising in various parts of the world in the name of religion”.
She also quoted Nehru as saying, “If any person raises his hand to strike down another on the ground of religion, I shall fight him to the last breath of my life as head of the government and from outside.”
The Congress President said that by his words and deeds Nehru became the hero of the developing world as well as a lodestar of hope to freedom seeking people everywhere during the worst years of the cold war.
“Suu Kyi sought inspiration from his examples,” she said adding that it is up to the new generation of India to ensure that the “solid foundations”, he helped build are strengthened.
Rahul Gandhi, who led the Congress delegation for the event was among those present at the conference. Other members present were M Veerappa Moily, Ambika Soni, Rajiv Satav, Ashok Tanwar and Sushmita Dev.
Briefing the media after the day-long conference, Moily said it is a “non-political event” and leaders of different parties have come due to the legacy of Nehru.
He also underplayed the absence of leaders of some non-NDA parties like SP, BSP and DMK.
Replying to questions about Sonia Gandhi’s remarks regarding “distortions and misrepresentation” of Nehru’s views, Moily such things have indeed taken place.
“Yes, there have been distortions and misrepresentations over a point of time. People tried to project that there were differences between Nehru and Sardar Patel,” he said.
Moily downplayed the absence of RJD chief Lalu Prasad at the event, saying his party was represented by Jaiprakash Yadav.
Sources said Nitish Kumar had cited his inability to attend the programme due to his busy schedule.
JD(U) President Sharad Yadav and KC Tyagi were present.
The Congress President had last week formally invited NCP chief Sharad Pawar for the event but Pawar had expressed his inability to attend the event owing to NCP’s Maharashtra unit’s two-day convention at Alibaug which coincided with the Congress event.Hence Tripathi attended the programme.
Congress had recently accused Modi of seeking to destroy Nehru’s secular vision.
The party had also accused the Prime Minister of appropriating the legacy of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.
Hailing Nehru as great son of India, Karzai said that Nehru’s emphasis was that no one is left out from the social, political and economic change.
Former President of Ghana John Kufuor was all praise for the progress made by India since Independence and noted that it was the first Asian country to reach Mars.
Dorji Wangmo Wangchuk, Queen Mother of Bhutan, said Nehru had a very special place in the hearts of Bhutanese people and at the age 59, he had paid a historic visit to Bhutan.
Former Prime Minister of Nepal Madhav K Nepal said Nehru extended full support for the democratic and social advancement of his country.
Amre Mousa of the Arab League voiced concern over cold war mentality making a comeback and said the relevance of Nehru is all the more when there is lack of a global leadership and “erosion of moral authority of UN”. (PTI)
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