BHUBANESWAR: Given the nature and track record of the country’s new political masters, the stability and foundation of India’s democratic ethos are under threat, opined Lok Sabha MP and celebrated author Shashi Tharoor here on Saturday.
Delivering the Brajamohan Mohanty memorial lecture organised by All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC), Odisha on virtual mode, Tharoor said the present government animated by its chauvinistic and distorted militarised version of what they call Hindutva appears to be determined to promote nationalism in order to redefine the understanding of India.
“Three big trends have emerged that affect the future of India. First, to establish a sheer myth of common Hindu identity to the Indian nationhood, secondly, to entrench its conception of majoritarian nationalism signalling soft bigotry against minorities and thirdly, to secure the Hindutva nationalism through the effective centralisation of authoritarian top-down unitary rule by weakening of institutions and federalism and its practices,” the senior Congress leader said.
Talking on ‘Future of Indian Democracy’, Tharoor said many are in the throes of a fundamental contestation between two ideas of India.
One, the India that is pluralist, inclusive and celebrates diversity of differences and believes that all Indians are equal, he said.
Then, Tharoor said, there is the challenge to this idea presented by those who believe in a distorted and alienating idea of India, where some Indians, belonging to a particular religion and speaking a particular language, come first and adhere to the political doctrine of Hindutva and others come last.
“We should speak of common future rather than a divided past and look forward to a new India that must celebrate pluralism and ideas vindicated by history that are unique to our country,” he added.