A strong people’s movement needed to protect Constitution, says Parakala Prabhakar
Prominent economist and political analyst Parakala Prabhakar has called for a strong people’s movement to protect the Constitution “at a time when forces seeking to
Prominent economist and political analyst Parakala Prabhakar has called for a strong people’s movement to protect the Constitution “at a time when forces seeking to undermine constitutional values are gaining strength”. Speaking on “Economic, Political and Cultural Issues in the Country and the Responsibilities of Civil Society” at a Telugu States’ conference held in Vijayawada on Sunday to mark the launch of the organisation ‘We, the People of India’, Mr. Prabhakar urged citizens to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding the Constitution, democracy and the country’s economic, political and cultural values. The programme was presided over by one of the organisation’s founders, D.V.V.S. Varma. Referring to the circumstances faced by minorities in European countries in the past, Mr. Prabhakar alleged that some forces were attempting to create similar conditions in India.
Civil society had a responsibility to protect the country’s economy, political system, culture, national identity and the nation itself, he said. Prabhakar called for a political system in which every citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, language, region, gender or colour, could participate equally in the political process, and urged people to work collectively towards achieving this goal. Criticising the large-scale deletion of voters in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), he alleged that Muslims, Christians, Dalits, tribals, the poor and daily-wage workers were among those most affected. He questioned how the number of voters could decline by lakhs when the population was increasing and alleged that the exercise appeared to be part of a larger conspiracy.
He said many people were unaware that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls and urged officials to ensure that eligible voters were not excluded. Minister Vadde Shobhanadreeswara Rao said developments in the country and the State were a matter of concern and called for a public movement to create awareness, particularly among the youth, about constitutional values and democratic practices. He welcomed the launch of ‘We, the People of India’ as an initiative to educate the public. The meeting discussed the objectives and future activities of the new organisation for the period from August to December. Several resolutions were unanimously adopted, including demands for the inclusion of the Preamble to the Constitution in textbooks, withdrawal of the Centre’s guidelines on Vande Mataram, prevention of attacks on various sections of society and immediate steps to address the concerns expressed by unemployed youth over remarks made by the Chief Justice of India in May this year.
The BriefWire