'Politics is a citizens' responsibility, do not hate it' - Justice A K Patnaik

 "Proper management of resources at Panchayat level should be such that each and every citizen of the country should be assured of education, healthcare and employment as a matter of fundamental right. This could be assured only when leaders at the grass root level understand the value of vote and responsibility towards people."
  
 
Date : 30th April 2010 ( Friday )

 Taking politics in a pejorative sense as the last resort of scoundrels by educated Indians is no good to Indian democracy,  Justice A K Patnaik of the Supreme Court of India, Justice Kailash Gambhir of the Delhi High Court, Senior Lawyer Ram Jethmalani were unanimous in their view of this.

Addressing a national seminar on “Hating Politics Is A Crime Against Democracy” at the Russian Cultural Centre in Delhi on Friday evening, Justice Patnaik as the chief guest of the occasion said that ‘good turnout of voters at Panchayat elections and Municipal elections was an indication of people’s faith in democratic system. But expectation of good governance by people would end up with frustration if their basic needs were not taken care of’.
‘People’s expectations could be taken care of when they chose the right kind of leadership’, he said adding “politics in democracy is a citizens' responsibility”.
 The chapter was selected from Advocate Biraja Mahapatra’s Book My Call for deliberation at the seminar which was jointly organized by civil society “Build India Group” and lawyers body “The Global Jurist”.

Introducing the topic, Mahapatra who runs the civil society Build India Group said, ‘proper management of resources at Panchayat level should be such that each and every citizen of the country should be assured of education, healthcare and employment as a matter of fundamental right. This could be assured only when leaders at the grass root level understand the value of vote and responsibility towards people for whom they are elected’.

Senior Advcoate Ram Jethmalani, Justice Kailash Gambhir, Parliament Member Govind Mishra, former media advisor in the Prime Minister’s office and media expert Prof A K Tandon hoped that young, committed and educated Indians would preserve the democracy by fulfilling legitimate expectations of the people.

Jethmalani said, ‘democracy is the precious gift to the mankind. It could be preserved only when people were educated and well informed to take their own responsibility’. He lamented that in Indian political system, education had been grossly neglected.

Mr Tandon said that, ‘there are some internet sites campaigning against politics and by doing so they were doing a disservice to the country’.
Mr Govind Mishra and other speakers were unanimous in view that education, employment and health care to every citizen would be the key to development and this could be assured only when politics is treated as a subject of management.

Presiding over the programme, Justice Gambhir said, ‘in fact politics is the most evolved subject of management and a great challenge for those who dare to take the responsibility of the country’.

Senior Advocate and Chairman of the committee K K Sharma offered the vote of thanks. Advocate Rajiv Saxena and Advcoate Manoj Sharma anchored the programme.

The pledge of allegiance to the constitution of India written by Mahapatra was also said by all gathered there. Sarthak Nayak and S K Rout announced that in January 2011, Build India Group would launch a protest programme against Terrorism involving all students in Delhi.
 


Third Pledge Festival Celebrations in Delhi


Rendition of a citizen’s pledge by several hundred people echoed the Mavalankar Auditorium on the evening of January 16, 2010 when Delhi High Court Judge Kailash Gambhir took the lead in saying the pledge in Hindi and English on the occasion of pledge festival here.
Justice Gambhir was joined by Senior Advocate Rakesh Khanna, Congress leader Purnima Sethi, Delhi High Court Bar Association Secretary D K Sharma, Social activists Promod Chawla and Surindra Gupta in the campaign of civil society Build India Group which has designed the oath as a part of pledge festival.
Pledge festival is a model of communication method to reach out to every individual in the country with the message of promoting Indianness while hating terrorism and corruption.
As a part of the campaign, the organization also released a souvenir titled The Campaigner with pledge drafted in 16 Indian languages i.e. English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalee, Marathi, Odiya, Tamil, Telegu, and Punjbi.
The festival was marked by a musical extravaganza involving one of the youngest exponent in Piano 14-year old  Master Abhay Goyle as the front face while young artists Harjyot Kaur and Shibesh Soni joined him in the rendition. Gazal Singer Jai Kesarwani had conceptualized the concept of the musical extravaganza.
The programme designed by Campaign Committee Chairman Advocate Rajeev Saxena started with a patriotic number with Advocate Meghna Mittal. According to the organizers the troop is likely to visit across the country to propound the concept of national pledge and festival to the country.

Release of My Call at Bhubaneswar (Orissa) by The Development Task Force


The Development Task Force, a civil society organized the book release function and also a seminar on " Hating politics is a crime against democracy" at the Redcross Building at Bhubaneswar in Orissa on June 11, 2008.  Educationists like Prof Abani Kumar Baral, Revenshaw College Professor R K Mohanty, prominent story writer Das Benhur, Economist and former Orissa Planning Commission member Dr Ambika Nanda, State BJD Secretary Priyadarshi  Mishra not only praised the efforts of BIG but urged their friends to join the movement. The Development Task Force under the chairmanship of Dr Manas Nanda is likely to engage many other similar organisations for this purpose and Sh Manoj Ondhia, BIG Coordinator is also actively organizing the pledge function.

Second pledge festival at Hindi Bhawan Delhi

The second edition of Pledge Festival was celebrated at Hindi Bhawan, New Delhi on January 17, 2009. The event participation from Additional Solicitor General Mr A S Chandihoke, Delhi High Court Bar Association President K C MIttal, Economist, author and thinker Sanjeev Sanyal, Educationist Mrs Savita Datta and Delhi High Court Bar Assocation Secretary D K Sharma.

Release of Build India Group founding member and its president Biraja Mahapatra"s book "My Call : for the greater glory of the land"


The book was released by Sr Advocate Sh M N Krishnamani on February 16, 2008 at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. The book provides a roadmap for the national pledge festival

Pledge Festival deliberations at India International Centre


BIG president Biraja Mahapatra, Advcoate Dr Surat Singh and Former Chief spokesperson of the Government of India Dr Umakant Mishra members of BIG are discussing the communication potential of the BIG movement at the India International Centre with BIG members