There is need for 'conspiracy of good': Arun Shourie

Manipal, Dec 25 (UNI) Rajya Sabha member and Senior Journalist Arun Shourie has exhorted that there was need for +conspiracy of good + against conspiracy of evils to take India on the fast progressive path in the coming years.

Speaking after inaugurating +Bharathayan+, a celebration of India's journey through 150 years, a year long celebrations taken up by Centre for Humanities of Manipal University here yesterday, he said that the pluralistic nature of India and great leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Ramana Maharshi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi played their leading role with some kind of 'relay race' passing the responsibility from one to another in liberating the country. This trend needed to be continued in the future for sustained growth which would only bring meaning to Bharathayan, he said.

Mr Shourie expressed that the false secularism in the country cost us a generation while license has led to wide spread corruption engulfing the society as a cancer. here was need for us to liberate the country from this cancer. False secularism and political corruption had become the order of the day for vote bank, he added.

While stressing the need for changes in the electoral system in the country, he noted that over 90 per cent of the members to the parliament were elected by below 50 per cent votes while 60 per cent were elected by below 40 per cent votes and 30 per cent elected by below 20 per cent votes. There was also decline and debasement of institution following which the reservation which was earlier based on class system on economic backwardness had now totally changed into caste based reservation.

If Bharathayan has to become more meaningful, there is need for a changed discourse with new thinking on issues of life and death, he added.

Mr Shourie who referred to the external security threats, said that the neighbouring China through changing the map of the country had shown large chunk of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory which was now 'remained as part of India'. The country was also making its claim on this large chunk of land through various forums.

He said that during the last one year period there was 140 incursions from China into Arunachal Pradesh.

UNI