Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Tehelka.com I May 20, 2014
Politics is full of differences. If we tried to eliminate such differences, it would prove to be counterproductive. In other words, it would result in a greater evil. Hence, democracy is the answer. It is the art of difference management and means a non-confrontational settlement of differences.
India’s 16th General Election is a landmark in the history of Indian democracy. The whole process has been a smooth exercise and totally peaceful. While one political group won an unprecedented victory, it was a near disaster for another. But the good sign is that the defeated group welcomed the winning group, while the winning group has declared that they are ready to work together for the benefit of India’s development.
Democracy is the best form of inducting the spirit of healthy sportsmanship in politics. During the age of kingship, the man wearing the crown used to say, ‘I am here to rule the land,’ while in a democracy the winner has to say: ‘I am here to serve the land.’
Democracy is the best way to settle political differences in a positive spirit. It offers a twofold strategy: adopting a shared principle with respect to common national issues, and at the same time adopting the policy of non-interference with regard to those issues that are regional and not national.
We proudly say that India is the largest democracy of the world, but this statement refers only to the quantitative aspect of our democracy. Now we need to add one more dimension to this statement, the qualitative aspect. The time has come to show the world that the Indian democracy is value-based rather than simply power-based.
While visiting America in 1893, Swami Vivekananda was walking on a street in Chicago one day, clad in two lengths of untailored cloth. The attire was quite unfamiliar and on seeing him, a woman whispered to her husband, “I don’t think that man is a gentleman.” Swami Vivekananda overheard this remark. He walked towards the lady and said to her politely: “Excuse me madam, in your country it is the tailor who makes a man a gentleman, but in the country from which I come, it is character which makes a man a gentleman.”
For India, character is not simply a matter of individual behaviour. It also reflects in the policy of the state. Now the time has come to reshape India on moral principles.
The term Ramarajya was used by Mahatma Gandhi to define democratic-righteous rule during the Indian independence struggle. At the same time he clarified, “By Ramarajya I do not mean Hindu Raj. I mean Divine Raj, the Kingdom of God. The Ramarajya of my dream ensures equal rights for all.”
The present change in Indian politics provides the opportunity to lay the foundation stone for the India that has been the dream of all the great minds of our country. The present world is said to be a developed world, but all the modern developments are material developments. This kind of development is one-sided. Jesus Christ rightly said: “Man does not live by bread alone.” (Matthew 4:4). India is now in a position to present a new model of quality democracy. That is, value-based democracy.
Everyone talks about bharatiya parampara (the Indian tradition). What is the Indian tradition? There are two important aspects of the Indian tradition, that is, peace and spirituality. They make up the real identity of our country and India can thus emerge as the harbinger of these two values.
As far as peace is concerned, India under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi adopted the peaceful method for its freedom struggle. This was so successful that India emerged as the greatest name in pacifism.
In the same way, India possesses the spiritual quality in the fullest gsense of the word, something that the present world is greatly in need of. The need of the hour is to combine these two aspects, which could result in the form of a new international phenomenon, that is, the emergence of India as a spiritual superpower of the world.