By TCN News,
New Delhi: Pratap Bhanu Mehta, noted political scientist, has called for fresh thinking on the democratic processes in the country to ensure that citizens could break out of a ‘framework of exclusion’, based on high levels of individual freedoms.
“The current political discourse restricts individuals from challenging the norm and laws which harm individual freedom require public consent. We need to move out of a 20th century vocabulary to assert 21st century ideas,” Mehta, president of the think-tank ‘Centre for Policy Research’ told a packed and attentive audience at the Jamia Millia Islamia on Wednesday.
“However, everyone believes in one thing — ‘Do not impose something on us if we do not agree to it’,” Dr Mehta said, delivering the sixth Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew Lecture at Jamia.
Changes can happen through a reduction of vertical accountability – where a government official is responsible only to his immediate boss – cutting back on secrecy and discretionary powers of State representatives, he said.
The programme was chaired by Dr Syeda Hameed, former member of the Planning Commission, who spoke about the need to ensure inclusive growth especially for those unreached by government. “In many places, where governments have failed, the gaps have been bridged by amazing individual and group efforts.”
Sanjoy Hazarika, who holds the Saifuddin Kitchlew Chair, and is the Director of the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, and Professor Shaheed Ashraf, registrar, JMI, also made initial remarks at the programme.
The programme is held to commemorate Dr Kitchlew, one of the founders of Jamia, and a far sighted fighter for Indian independence as well as for equality and secularism, a release from the JMI media coordinator said.