BENGALURU: The integral philosophy of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) (erstwhile Bhartiya Jana Sangh) takes off from the concept of integral humanism propounded by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, said party national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi. Speaking on the latter’s 104th birth anniversary during a webinar organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Jayanagar division, Bengaluru, the Rajya Sabha member called Upadhyaya the “foremost and original political thinker.” Integral humanism was adopted by the Bhartiya Jana Sangh in 1965 as its official doctrine.
“He (Upadhyaya) had articulated the Indian ethos through integral humanism, which helps build man’s relationship with nature, society, other countries and with the self, in contrast to capitalism and communism, which were the two predominant ideologies in the early 1950s,” said Trivedi.
“The Capitalist thought is individual-centric and, in Communism, society dominates individual identity. Both these ideologies stress on the use of resources for individual or societal gain at the cost of ecology and natural resources. Both these thoughts were neither of Indian origin nor did they have the interest of society,” he added.
Trivedi said that ecological imbalance, terrorism and nuclear threat are the biggest problems that the world is facing. “The origin of these global threats lies in the self-centric, non-integral and compartmentalised approach towards nature, society and other countries. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s integral humanism is an inclusive concept that is rooted in the Vedic philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (world is one). It promotes coexistence,” said the BJP MP.