Leaders of various parties should introspect on the way the country’s politics is being conducted: Sudheendra Kulkarni

Leaders of various parties should introspect on the way the country’s politics is being conducted, said Sudheendra Kulkarni, thinker, columnist and former aide of Atal Bihari Vajapayee, in Dharwad on February 8.

“Looking at the current political developments, leaders should reflect on the direction our democracy is heading in,’’ he added.

He was speaking at a programme organised by the Y.S. Patil Memorial Trust at the Karnataka Vidya Vardhak Sangha auditorium. He called for renewed efforts to safeguard democratic values in India.

Mr. Kulkarni, who served as a special adviser to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, said that leaders across political parties must engage in serious introspection in view of the far-reaching changes taking place in India’s political landscape. He shared his experiences of working closely with Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. Mr. Kulkarni observed that the Congress of the pre-Independence era no longer exists, and that the Jana Sangh of the 1960s and 1970s — now the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — had also undergone significant transformation. “

“I think that the path being taken by some leaders of the BJP is very different from the values laid down by founding leaders like Vajpayee and Advani. Ideological commitment among today’s politicians seems to have weakened,’’ he said.

Recalling his association with Vajpayee and Advani, Mr. Kulkarni said it was his privilege to work with leaders who valued experience and expertise irrespective of party affiliations as they entrusted even opposition leaders with major responsibilities. “They believed in India’s multiparty democracy and in inclusive governance as the path to national progress. We seem to be moving away from such trends,’’ he said. He also expressed concern over the declining quality of parliamentary debates, and said that Bills requiring serious debates were being passed after the suspension of 140 MPs, without much discussion in the Parliament.

Mr. Kulkarni criticised attempts by some vested interests to portray India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as a villain or an anti-national element. “Vajpayee and Advani held Jawaharlal Nehru in high regard for laying the foundations of India’s development. We need to realise that branding dissenters as anti-nationals today is a disturbing trend,’’ he said.

He recalled Vajpayee’s belief that while friends could be changed, neighbours and geography could not be. “He believed that improved India–Pakistan relations would reduce Hindu–Muslim tensions within India, and worked towards this through initiatives such as the Lahore bus journey and the Agra Summit. However, the progress in such moves was derailed due to Pakistan’s failure to curb terrorism, ‘’ Mr. Kulkarni said.