LK Advani On What Makes Indian Democracy So Special

Brut India

May 13th, 2012, was the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of India’s Parliament. LK Advani delivered this memorable speech on that day, surmising the aspects of Indian democracy that truly make it stand out. He turned 92 today.

Transcript

00:00When I look back, the beginning of my life and the major events of my life were not with the attainment of independence.

00:17I saw the rule of the British.

00:20And for the first 20 years of my life, I had only one desire in my mind.

00:27When will I be free from this imperialism? How will I be free?

00:33And in those days, when I used to hear about Mahatma Gandhi,

00:42or when I had the opportunity to see him in Karachi,

00:48or when I came here,

00:52I used to feel that such great people were born in the world.

01:00And today, when I think about India, India has become independent.

01:15India has also become a superpower.

01:21People have no doubt that India will become a superpower in the coming years.

01:33But despite all these specialties,

01:39if someone asks me today,

01:43what is the biggest speciality,

01:47that after getting freedom from the British,

01:51after becoming independent,

01:54after becoming a constitution in India,

02:00and today, after the first day of the Parliament,

02:06after 70 years,

02:08who do you think is the biggest achievement?

02:11I will tell you why we are celebrating this day.

02:16India has become a great and successful superpower.

02:23I consider this achievement to be the biggest achievement.

02:28In those days, when India adopted the superpower in 1950,

02:37what kind of comments did the foreign scholars make?

02:41That this country will become a democratic country.

02:45And I do not quote anyone,

02:51but the great scholars there also said that

02:53in a country where millions of people cannot write their names,

02:59if they sign a document,

03:03they sign it with a thumbprint.

03:07How will that country become a democracy?

03:10How will that country become a successful democracy?

03:14There were many people who expressed doubts and disbelief.

03:20And today, this country, which denies all their doubts and disbelief,

03:29can proudly say that for 60 years,

03:35we have made this country a successful democracy.

03:39To celebrate this,

03:41today, on 13th May, we are celebrating this special occasion.

03:48I remember,

03:52it was in 1989 or 1990,

03:56when I was the president of the party,

04:00a Canadian television team came to New Delhi.

04:05They came to my Ashok Road office to meet me.

04:10They came and said,

04:14you have so much experience of India's democracy,

04:18from independence to today.

04:22We want to know from you,

04:25that in all the developed countries around the world,

04:30after getting freedom from imperialism,

04:34they adopted democracy.

04:36But in most of the countries,

04:39democracy somehow got disintegrated.

04:43Somewhere, there was military rule.

04:45Somewhere, there was some kind of authoritarian rule.

04:49Only your country,

04:51where it is still alive,

04:55it is still successful,

04:57and it is still determined to make its future on its basis.

05:03What is the reason?

05:06I said, I think.

05:09I think of only one thing.

05:11I think that for the success of democracy,

05:16the biggest quality is

05:18that there should be a feeling of tolerance

05:22even for the opposite opinion.

05:29But I am proud of the fact

05:32that in our country,

05:34for the opposite opinion,

05:36or for the opinion,

05:38there is not only a feeling of tolerance,

05:41but a feeling of respect.

05:43And this feeling of respect,

05:46I say it as an example,

05:48that the most unfavorable situation in any field

05:52is in the field of religion.

05:56In the fields of sects and religions.

06:01And in that field,

06:03scientists and the inquisition were brought to the fore

06:07that what you are saying is not written in religious texts.

06:12Therefore, there will be a trial for you.

06:15Forget the trial in India,

06:17there was a thinker who said,

06:21if you do good deeds,

06:24you will be rewarded in the next life.

06:27These priests talk nonsense.

06:29You don't worry about them.

06:31And you eat a lot, drink a lot and enjoy.

06:36Eat, drink and make merry.

06:41Their famous quote is,

06:45Yavat Jeevam Sukham Jeevet

06:47Rinam Kripa Gritam Pivet

06:50Rinam Kripa Gritam Pivet

06:52Meaning, take a loan and drink ghee.

06:56When I used to tell this in western countries,

07:00I used to tell them,

07:02he was not talking of credit cards.

07:05Rinam Kripa Gritam Pivet

07:08Vaspi Bhootasya Dehasya

07:11Kunala Gamanam Putah

07:13This body is going to be destroyed.

07:15Thinking that the next birth will come,

07:17nothing will come.

07:18This is nonsense.

07:20And this charvak who said this,

07:22he was not brought to the fore by the inquisition.

07:25He was called Rishi Charvak.

07:28Meaning, not the best,

07:30but the feeling of respect.

07:32When in the field of religion,

07:36if the one who has a different opinion is respected,

07:40and he is called a Rishi,

07:42then in the economic, social and political field,

07:46if a person says,

07:48that the whole world should be under the rule of the state,

07:51and the other person says,

07:52that the whole world should be under the rule of the common people,

07:55how can there be intolerance in this?

07:58I believe,

08:00that in India,

08:01the main reason for the success of the democracy

08:05is the feeling of respect for the opposite opinion.

08:09And the parliament is a great example of this.

08:13My senior colleague,

08:16he is a senior in the parliament for 3-4 months,

08:19and I,

08:20both of us came to the state assembly first,

08:23and

08:25what he just said,

08:27I fully endorse that.

08:30And I say,

08:32that if we have a feeling of respect for each other,

08:37a feeling of respect for the opposite opinion,

08:41then through debate,

08:43through debate,

08:45through debate,

08:47every problem will be solved.

08:49And the success of the parliament is because of this.

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