Hindustan Times (Bathinda)

Democracy has collapsed, says Katju

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com

Institutio­ns such as the parliament, judiciary, bureaucrac­y and police are in the clutches of corruption while every second child suffers from malnutriti­on and farmers are committing suicide. MARKANDEY KATJU, former Supreme Court judge

JALANDHAR: “Parliament­ary democracy has completely collapsed because majority people only vote along caste and communal lines,”said former Supreme Court judge, Markandey Katju, who was in Jalandhar to attend a function to mark BR Ambedkar’s anniversar­y on Sunday.

He said, “Institutio­ns such as the parliament, judiciary, bureaucrac­y and police have collapsed and are in the clutches of corruption while every second child suffers from malnutriti­on, farmers are committing suicide and the poor cannot afford to pay private hospital bills,” he said. “The current parliament­ary democracy is responsibl­e for this chaos,” said Katju.

‘INDUSTRIES ARE NEED OF THE HOUR’

He emphasised on the need for rapid industrial­isation across the country. He said India can learn a lot from China as it has rapidly developed despite being poorer than India in 1947.

“The caste system is still destroying the country. There are still two regiments, the Sikh regiment and the light Sikh infantry in the Indian army in which soldiers are chosen on the basis of caste. Both these regiments were made by the Britishers and we still continue the practice. This is against the principles of the Guru Nanak Dev,” he said.

‘SURGICAL STRIKE IS LIKE SLAPPING A SLEEPING PERSON’

On the recent surgical strikes, former apex court judge said, “It is like slapping a person when they are sleeping. He said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech after the Pulwana attack was misconstru­ed. Meanwhile, India should train its agencies to conduct advanced investigat­ion as are conducted in America.”

Former Supreme Court judge said a revolution will come in the form of alternativ­e politics and there will soon be no place for lynchings and conflicts over temples.

 ?? PARDEEP PANDIT/HT ?? Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju in Jalandhar on Sunday.
PARDEEP PANDIT/HT Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju in Jalandhar on Sunday.

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