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Current communal narrative not in India’s interests: Ex-CJI
New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) In an apparent indictment of the Hindutva politics, former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Jagdish Singh Khehar on Thursday said such politics will be counterproductive for India’s aspiration to become a global power.
“India is aspiring to be a global power. In a global scenario, if you want to befriend Muslim countries, you can’t afford to be anti-Muslim back in you country. If you want strong ties with Christian nations, you can’t be anti-Christian,” Khehar said while delivering the 24th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lecture here.
“Whatever is happening today is not in the interest of India, especially if we are projecting a communal bend of mind,” Khehar said as he emphasised that India consciously chose to be secular in 1947 when the neighbouring Pakistan decided to become an Islamic Republic.
Khehar underlined the importance of secularism as an ideal in Shastri’s life as he quoted Shastri — the second Prime Minister of India who successfully steered the nation during the 1965 India-Pakistan war — as saying that “India does not bring religion into politics”.
Shastri had once observed: “The unique thing about our country is that we have Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and people of all other religions. We have temples and mosques, gurdwaras and churches. But we do not bring all this into politics… So far as politics is concerned, each of us is as much an Indian as the other.”
The former CJI recalled how Shastri had moved a Bill for addition of Section 153A to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for making acts of promoting enmity between different groups, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language etc., and acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, as penal offences.
“For me, as a man of law, his quote which attracted me the most was, “the rule of law should be respected, so that the basic structure of our democracy is maintained and further strengthened’.
“I must therefore acknowledge, that he (Shastri) may have been one of the first to have recognized the ‘basic structure’ ethos contained in the Constitution, and certainly well before the Supreme Court recognised it in Kesavananda Bharati Vs. State of Kerala (1973).
“For him, the way was straight and clear…the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations’,” Khehar said.
The former CJI acknowledged that Shastri was the first Prime Minister of India to wage a war against corruption, which had started showing its ugly face by the late 1950s, and took effective measures to tackle it.
“Lal Bahadur Shastri recognised how corruption could sap the vitals of India, and negate all efforts at socio-economic transformation. Accordingly, as Prime Minister of India, Shastriji established a Code of Conduct for Ministers, and his efforts led to the establishment of the now well known Central Vigilance Commission CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),” Khehar said.
Earlier, as a Minister in the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet, Shastri was instrumental in appointing a committee on “prevention of corruption”. The report of the K. Santhanam Committee was still a benchmark for any discussion or solution to the evil phenomenon (corruption), Khehar said.
“This compels us to ask ourselves the question, as to what is lacking, and why we have not been able to fulfil the constitutional mandate, which promises to secure all citizens’ justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, projected in the Preamble of the Constitution itself,” Khehar said.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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