Panelists call for understanding core values of Constitution

The recent hijab controversy and the needless poisoning of students’ minds with communal thoughts took the center stage at a panel discussion on ‘Fostering Unity in Diversity: Opportunities and Challenges' organised by the Ekam Sat Trust here on Saturday.

Among the panellists were retired IAS officer Dr A Ravindra, also the chairperson of Ekam Sat Trust, former MP K Jayaprakash Hegde, former MLA YSV Datta, retired high court judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das, physician Dr Mohammed Taha Matheen and core member of Ekam Sat Trust Prof Jerome Nirmalraj.

Talking about the religious station of politics and politicisation of religion, Dr Ravindra said he was concerned about the conflict between law and tradition and wondered if it is time for a uniform civil code. He said legal and judicial remedies are not the solutions for all problems and the tendency to go to the judiciary needs to be curbed.

“Spirit of the Constitution needs to be adhered to. Liberty, equality, justice and fraternity are the pillars of civil society and of these, fraternity or brotherhood is quite critical. Law alone cannot safeguard liberty and equality, and hence fraternity, is the fundamental pillar,” he said.

Echoing his sentiment Justice Nagmohan Das referred to judicial activism as the worst process to solve key issues facing the country. He spoke of his travels during which he sensed that there is both a lack of understanding of our Constitution and also a hunger to understand it.

“Democracy is not just about elections but about delivering economic and social justice. An irreligious state is the core concept of secularism and reservation is not the only approach to social justice,” he said.

He said, “The core of our Constitution comes from the concept that we don’t want a monarchy. We don’t want to be a religious state. We want democracy and social justice.”

Dr Matheen spoke about selective self-interpretation of scriptures to maintain hierarchical hegemonies. “Unity does not mean uniformity, and natural diversity should not be weaponised to create hatred,” he said.

Ex-MLA YSV Datta said, “History is treated as ‘nationalist’ and this results in misinterpretation. The Constitution talks of India as a Union of States and this is core to the concept of diversity,” he added.

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