Editorial

REALISING THE COLLECTIVE DREAM

The victory of the Congress Party in Maharashtra in the west and Arunachal Pradesh in the east is an eloquent testimony to the fact that Congress alone is acceptable to the people across the country. Issues at stake in these two states divided by a distance of more than 1500 km were different in the just-concluded Assembly elections. In this country of tremendous diversity, the habits, customs, problems as well as aspirations are strikingly different. Yet, if the voters of these two states preferred the Congress party over its rivals, it proves beyond doubt that this oldest party is the strongest bond that unites people of India. If the British had united India geographically after several centuries, it was the Congress party that united India spiritually, socially and politically. The credit for making India a nation-state in which people of an amazing variety of religions, castes, creeds and even ambitions goes entirely to Mahatma Gandhi whose message was ably and convincingly carried forward by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

The challenges they faced were immense. As Smt. Sonia Gandhi said in her thought-provoking address at the Hindustan Times seminar recently these great leaders "steered our nation through the hostility of a bi-polar world and threats and wars in our neighbourhood." They strove continuously with commitment to strengthen political fabric of India at home and its place in the comity of nations. "India's external strength depends on her internal cohesiveness," said Smt. Sonia Gandhi, warning at the same time that "if India wants to be seen as being exclusive in the world as she indeed is, then she has to be inclusive at home. Our nationalism has necessarily to be secular, pluralistic and liberal as bequeathed to us by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru." Infact, India has no other option if it desires to be respected not just for its past, but also for its contemporary significance. And a nation of India's size, history and talent has to be in the front ranks of the world. The Congress Party's unrelenting insistence on an all-inclusive socio-political philosophy is based firmly on the recognition of India's destiny. It is not that the Congress Party is against a particular religion, creed or caste, nor has it any prejudice against any philosophy. The Congress Party represents all without discrimination, for it seeks and strives for the welfare of all. It is truly remarkable that the people of India too believe in the same philosophy. People of different cultures co-existed each contributing in its own way for making India a model state. India's heterogeneous character is not its weakness; it is its greatest strength, considering that most wars of great destruction were started by homogenous nations. India is a true representative of democracy in its most adorable form.

All this does not mean that the Congress Party should bask in the glory of the brightness of its philosophy. Each Congress worker must realize that the precious bonds that unite all of us must be nurtured and strengthened in every possible way. This is what Smt. Sonia Gandhi meant when she said candidly that "India still faces numerous developmental challenges. How successfully we address these challenges in basic areas like literacy, education, health and infrastructure, for example, depends on ourselves and ourselves alone." She had repeatedly asked the Congress workers to go to the people, find out their problems and try to solve them. She wants the party to be a live bridge between people and the government. People who have reposed so much trust in the party expect this. In discharging that duty the Congress workers would not only strengthen the national cohesiveness but also contribute to make India what each one of us dreams of and what Rajiv Gandhi worked and died for.