India @ 70: President Kovind calls for inclusion, skirts divisive issues

On the eve of I-Day, says country must strive to become a compassionate society

Invoking the rule of law to build a new India, President Ram Nath Kovind opted to refer to divisive issues only obliquely in his first address to the nation as President on the eve of India’s 71st Independence Day.

Kovind emphasised sharing, philanthropy and values of good neighbourliness as the principle creed of India.

He referred to Jawaharlal Nehru as a brave freedom fighter, one of the many who helped India gain its freedom. In the same breath, he mentioned B R Ambedkar as someone who instilled the rule of law and the value of education; and Sardar Patel who introduced discipline in the national character.

Interestingly, he highlighted the contribution of Matangini Hazra of Tamluk in West Bengal, who was an active member of theIndian National Congress. He also named Ashfaqullah Khan and Birsa Munda as brave warriors of freedom.

Making no bones about the fact that he did not consider any Indian an alien, regardless of religion, Kovind called for a partnership — between citizen and government, between individual and society, and between a family and the wider community.

Recalling a typical wedding in a village, he said all families would help out, knowing that one day they would need help, too. This could be interpreted as a subtle message to India’s neighbours, given the strained ties between India and China, to recall all India has done for them.

 

On the eve of Independence Day, North Block (right) and South Block were lit up, in New Delhi on Monday. Rashtrapati Bhavan dome can be seen in the background. Photo: Sanjay K Sharma

He also said all Indians had philanthropy ingrained in them. If they were to adopt one child other than own and take responsibility by paying for his or her education, India would slowly emerge out of illiteracy. He had a special message for gau rakshaks and vigilante groups without naming them: “The government can frame laws and strengthen law enforcement — but it is for each of us to be a law-abiding citizen, and to build a law-abiding society.”
 
There was also a pat on the back of the volunteers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) without naming them.
 
“There are so many people and organisations that work quietly and diligently for the poor and the disadvantaged. They could be running schools for street children, caring for stray animals and birds, and providing water to hard-to-reach tribal communities in remote areas. Or cleaning rivers and public places. They are nation builders in action, and we need to draw inspiration from them,” he said. He extolled selflessness as the greatest individual virtue.
 
Kovind’s speech made no mention of business, capitalism or industry only emphasising the national duty to pay tax and extolling both demonetisation and the rollout of the goods and services tax.
 
He asked citizens to pay taxes honestly as that contributed to India’s development.
 
Kovind’s social message was that India must strive to be a compassionate society: towards Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and towards those Indians who lived in the Northeast and were not understood by the rest of India. He also batted for an egalitarian society that did not discriminate on the basis of gender or religion.
 
He asked Indians to be nationalists — by preparing for a sterling performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Although a motherhood and apple pie speech, in essence it was a distillation of Buddhism.