Bengaluru: “The civic society of India is at the moment fractured and fragmented,” said M.N. Venkatachaliah, former Supreme Court chief justice, referring to the recent happenings in the country.
During his address at a symposium on “Emerging Issues in Indian Democracy” he pointed fingers at orchestrated communal conflicts. “No government can impose split among people unless we have problems within our minds. The problems arise when one considers his religion the best not only for him but for others as well. This way of thinking should change,” he added. Well known Supreme Court lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said, “The challenges we face now are the most serious ones that our democracy has ever faced.” He added that the rights and values offered by the Constitution are under threat.
“For the first time ever in history, the government at the centre and majority of the states are led by people who owe their ideologies to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh , whose texts give way to hatred towards Muslims and other religions and a belief in authoritarian structure,” he said.
Referring to the issues affecting top varsities in the country, Bhushan added, “All centres where critical thinking is taught and promoted is under attack today.”
Senior Advocate at SC former Karnataka High Court judge Justice H.N. Nagamohan Das asserted that the government was trying to divert public attention from the real problems faced by the citizens. Quoting a Roman poet, he said, “If you cannot give bread to people, give them circus. This is what we witness now.”
He also criticized the government’s “blind support” to privatize basic needs such as health, education, water and housing. Dwelling on economic insecurities faced by the people, social scientist Fr Ambrose Pinto S.J. said, “A slogan like Make in India is totally irrelevant when our own IT sector has collapsed.” The symposium was jointly organised by Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity–Karnataka and Department of Social Work and St Joseph’s College.
