Targeting icons will do no good

Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel and many others, born in the fiery days of the freedom struggle, were no doubt cast in a different mould. These highly educated men sacrificed their careers and lives to secure independence from colonial rule, which bled India white for three centuries. And once freedom was won, they dedicated themselves to the cause of development, going about the task of rebuilding a nation devastated by the plunder of its abundant resources, tirelessly.

These men and others like Babasaheb Ambedkar, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Sarojini Naidu gave us a Constitution which has been praised by many thinkers as one of the best in the world for its sagacity and the thought processes which have gone into its making. They laid the foundations of a modern nation, built its infrastructure and pioneered the vison of a progressive, secular and tolerant society - a dream which continues to inspire countless Indians to this day. The times have changed and the Congress, which ruled the country for many decades, is no longer in power at the Centre or in most states. And so leaders like Nehru who continue to be admired by countless global leaders, are now facing flak from those in power for ‘subverting’ the Constitution and for ‘attacks’ on the freedom of expression A Congress leader acidly remarked that the targeting of Nehru was actually a ploy by the ruling front to divert attention from its failures to address current problems - an argument many would tend to agree with. There are many countries including some in the neighbourhood where dictatorships have reigned supreme after tearing to pieces the law of the land.

The fact that it has not happened in India is because we have a Constitution dedicated to the principles of freedom, equality, justice and non-discrimination. We also have a parliamentary system which has endured the test of time and has ensured continuity and economic growth even as wars raged the world over. And these are legacies left for us by our founding fathers with icons like Nehru and Ambedkar making sure that we had a democratic structure which would prevent attempts to snuff out our freedom. Amid these attempts to belittle the contributions of legendary leaders, there are also sinister efforts to cripple the spirit of harmony and religious tolerance which prevails across the country by trying to find religious structures of one community under those of another. The courts have wisely stepped in and put the brakes on this, much to the relief of democratic minded and secular citizens.

Raking up the past and trying to use controversial happenings like the Emergency of 1975, to demean our national icons, is something people of the country would definitely frown upon. If Indians today are enjoying the fruits of economic growth, it is because of the far-sighted vision and sagacious policies of leaders like Pandit Nehru and Dr Manmohan Singh, who had the ability to decipher the hopes in the hearts of every Indian. So were built the huge dams and magnificent steel factories in the initial decades after freedom, followed by the entry of quality goods and products from cars to washing machines, all made possible because of the brilliance of an economist- turned politician India will ever be proud of. The Emergency was maybe an aberration but it would be in the best interests of the nation for our current political masters to focus on the urgent tasks at hand – like controlling galloping prices of essential commodities and fulfilling the aspirations of every section of society from farmers to the poor- who have often complained of being meted out a raw deal. Slandering our legends who lived and died more than half a century ago and fulfilled their historic role in the best manner possible, will hardly do any good to the national spirit or help satisfy the aspirati ons of 140 crore Indians.