New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday said Nehruvian consensus was under challenge though it was the firm basis on which the nation was founded.
Addressing the concluding session of an international conference to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi said there was need not only to adhere to the principles of democracy, secularism and inclusiveness but to fight hard to strengthen them.
“Nehruvian consensus is under challenge in today’s India. It remains the firm basis on which the nation was founded,” she said.
She said the two-day conference had evoked international interest and the declaration adopted at the plenary session affirms commitment to Nehru’s values.
Earlier, in his speech, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said Nehru was a freedom fighter, a leader of great compassion and strong convictions.
Singh said Nehru saw socialism not merely as an economic doctrine, but as a way of life which called for a profound transformation in the habits and instincts of men.
“As India’s first prime minister, Nehru devised a pragmatic road map designed to promote development with social justice. The idea of a mixed economy, the co-existence of public and private sectors was an important component of Nehru’s thought processes. For Nehru, socialism was basically a passion for equity and equality,” Singh said.
He said Nehru’s brilliance lay in being able to contextualise socialism for India, in the global context.
He provided the example of Buddhism, which originated in India, but put on the garb of the country to which it went. Therefore, Nehru said that one must choose the form of socialism that is compatible with the country’s genius and could answer a nation’s specific needs and requirements, Singh said.
He said Nehru’s world view and message is relevant in every corner of the globe today.
“Where conflict and violence pervade the human heart, Nehru would have sought peace and harmony, and made efforts to promote a democratic and multilateral world order, where consensus building rather than unilateralism would be the guiding principle,” he said.
The former prime minister said Nehru taught Indians to take independent decisions without fear or favour in international affairs. “He also taught us the value of building a viable consensus. This is the ability to foster tolerance for the other point of view.”
He said principles of the non-aligned movement (NAM) can help in bringing the emerging and developing countries to cooperate for equitable management of inter-dependent global economy and polity.
“In fact, the core principles (of NAM) are still relevant and can help India play a more active role in world politics in the 21st century,” he said.
Singh said the “idea of India” of Nehru’s conception is the idea of “unity in diversity”.
“This idea of pluralism, the idea that there need be no ‘conflict of civilisations’, lies at the root of the possibility of working towards a ‘confluence of civilisations’. This idea has universal relevance.A In a world enveloped by conflict and hatred, these ideas come as a ray of sunshine, giving us hope and renewing our faith in a common humanity,” he said.