BENGALURU: Highlighting India’s democratic journey since the ages, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan said, “Indian democracy succeeded not because of the borrowed ideas of the West, but because of an ancient civilisation and spirituality which respected pluralism since times immemorial.”Delivering the 4th Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture, on the late ocasion of the late Prime Minister’s 97th birth anniversary, here on Saturday, the veteran leader observed that while all religions are prescriptive, the Indian tradition is reflective of diversity and pluralism.
“Diversity is deeply rooted in our tradition. Democracy has flourished since we respect and tolerate all traditions. The West seeks to have control over their selfish desires through laws, but in India, it is voluntarily self-imposed with each individual being conscious about a sense of accountability,” he said at the event, organised by the India Foundation at BMS Engineering College auditorium. Describing the contributions of Vajpayee, with whom he had a cordial relationship, Khan said the former PM was one of the finest examples of imbibing the ‘Sanatana’ tradition by integrating himself into the ethos and propagating it amongst the public.
“If we could understand his idea of Indian tradition, many puzzles of religion, secularism and culture could be solved with ease,” he said. Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu observed that Vajpayee, as PM, brought in cultural nationalism that was not reflected in the political thought process. “When he (Vajpayee) lost the vote of confidence in 1998, he was prophetic when he said that one day, the BJP will become a prominent political party in India,” Prabhu remarked.