-Rajeev Chandrasekhar,
Member of Parliament, Immediate Past President FICCI & Convener ABIDe Task Force
Rajeev Chandrasekhar
As a nation we are faced with unprecedented and multiple challenges – The first the sharp deterioration of our economy and the uncertainty around the future of our economy, the second the vulnerable security situation we find ourselves in as a nation and as a people – in a region where there is tremendous security instability in almost every nation around us – Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition there is a governance model that is deeply unsatisfying and unresponsive to majority of citizens of our country .
The most important challenge is the trend of balkanization of India. The original idea of a strong united India – the idea that motivated our founding father to fight for independence and create a free and independent India – seems to be slowly disappearing – being killed off at the altar of regionalism, religions, castes and other issues being created by politicians as another way of dividing up the electorate into different vote banks. This in my view, is the biggest challenge to overcoming all other challenges – Bringing back the idea of India as our primary identity of all Indias – Nation first in other words. We are one Billion Citizens of India, but we must be One Billion Indians who believe in this Nation first before all other identities of religion, caste or creed.
India has handled challenges before as a nation and as a people and we can surely do it again. But the key is to stand united as Indians and be determined as a group to take on these challenges. The challenges of governance and political corruption to be replaced by Good Governance and Politicians that treat politics as public service, The challenge of National security with depoliticizing our Police and security apparatus and building professional and capable institutions and organizations that can protect all Indians , The challenge of the economy with taking politics out of the economy and taking the difficult and correct decisions that puts the economy on a sustainable growth path, without just relying on rheoteric and spin.
Nation first – is about all this.
We are a critical stage as a nation. 60 years after Independence, Many pressures and compulsions are pulling us apart and creating internal disagreements. A strong sense of National identity would be the natural safeguards to these pressures. But the dilution over the last many years of this national identity is allowing each of these pressures to blow up into conflicts and cause a further erosion of our National identity. This makes it even more critical that we focus on rebuilding the idea of India – at the very least for our future generations.
As we look around us, we hear and see stories of service to the nation - be it Indians like Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Lt Col Vasanth, Lt Col JJ Thomas who lived and died as ultimate examples of Nation first citizens or the Countless other Indians who serve in many different fields and believe in placing their faith in India over all else. However it is in Politics that this value of Nation first is most lacking. We need to restore this and the only way to achieve this, is to ensure that our democratic process has this as its objective. That as citizens, we celebrate and reward those Politicians that subscribe to this belief of Nation first – a strong United India for all Indians.