Atrocities against minorities and Dalits on rise: Manmohan Singh
Says widespread concern that electoral system being undermined by money, muscle power
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said there was widespread concern that the country's electoral system was being undermined by the use of money and muscle power and stressed on the need to effect electoral reforms to check the menace.
Addressing the first S B Rangnekar Memorial Oration at the Panjab University, his alma mater, Singh said India's electoral system has succeeded against great odds and has destroyed feudal systems of government. It has opened up opportunities for the common man, without any social, economic or political privilege whatsoever by birth, to occupy the highest positions of power, he said, reports PTI.
"There is, however, today widespread concern that our electoral system is being undermined by money power and muscle power," he said addressing the gathering here.
"The faith of the people in democratic elections as the best system to select a government that would govern in the common interest is today being eroded as much by a sustained campaign to attack democratic institutions and elected representatives as by the increasing political corruption and the capture of political parties and elected office by vested interests," he said.
Electoral reforms to cleanse elections of money and muscle power and to maintain integrity of elected officials are vital areas for securing and strengthening India's democracy, said the former prime minister.
Talking about renewing commitment to democracy, Singh invoked B R Ambedkar and said, "Democracy requires not only that all of us must get involved, but that we must each ensure that everyone has an equal voice."
"Dr. Ambedkar once worried that the day may come when people may prefer government for the people to government by and of the people. He saw that as a great danger. On this 70th anniversary, we must ensure that we do not fall into the trap of choosing government for the people over government by and of the people."
The topic of Singh's address was: The Seventieth Anniversary of our Independence – Strengthening the roots of our Democracy.
Speaking on the topic he also said that atrocities against minorities and Dalits were increasing in the country and such incidents, if unchecked, could harm democracy and called for rejection of "divisive policies and politics".
He expressed concern over the alleged attempts being made to divide people.
"I need not dwell long on the current deep concern that attempts are being made to divide the Indian people on the basis of religion and caste, language and culture. Atrocities against minorities and Dalits are increasing. If unchecked, these tendencies can only harm our democracy. As a people, we must strongly reject divisive policies and politics," he said.
The former prime minister asserted that freedom of a country did not mean the freedom of just its government. "It is the freedom of people, which, in turn is not the freedom only of its privileged and powerful, but the freedom of every Indian."
"Freedom is, the freedom to question, the freedom to express one's views, howsoever troubling they may be for others. The only constraint to freedom must be the freedom of others. In other words, the freedom of one person or a group should not be used to constrain the freedom of other individuals or groups," he added.