Today we need politics of reconciliation: Sudheendra Kulkarni
The Author and Socio-Political Activist spoke at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit
In Indian history, there have been many invaders, who came from outside the country and plundered this land. But it is India's innate quality that absorbed all of them. So, Babur may have been an invader but Bahadur Shah Zafar was as Indian as Jhansi ki Rani Lakshmi Bai, said Sudheendra Kulkarni, Author & Socio-Political Activist.
He was speaking at ABP Network’s inaugural ‘Ideas of India’ summit and delved on the topic of ‘Excavating the Past - India's History: Change or Continuity?’. The summit has brought together the brightest brains from diverse sectors to discuss India's 75-year journey, its present status, and the way ahead. ABP Network is the leading multi-language news channel reaching 535 million individuals in India.
Kukarni said, "There is not a single Indian who is an alien Indian. Everyone is an equal Indian – whether it’s the Hindus, Muslims, Christians, or Sikhs. Similarly, irrespective of the political party – whether it’s the Congress, RSS, BJP, or the Left – all are Indians and all are equal Indians."
He further observed: "What we need today is politics of reconciliation, politics of Samvaad and Samanvay (concerted conversation). Unfortunately, those who take the name of Deendayal Upadhyay today, are in the business of excavating the past," he said
Kulkarni also addressed the topic of politics and polarisation and commented, “The politics of division and polarisation is recent; it must be rejected.” He further opined, “During the recent assembly elections, a popular political leader said this is a battle of 80:20 and he ended up winning the election.”
The co-speaker at the same session, Prof. Makarand R Paranjape, author and academician, said, “History is a very recent form of epistemology. The brutality of the conquest of India, the destruction of the monuments and the temples, the loot… all of this was airbrushed. We can't write revenge histories but these things have to be told so that we have a truth and reconciliation type of movement within India to know what happened.”
