Bengaluru: It’s celebration time at Vidhana Soudha, the majestic building that towers over Bengaluru with President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurating its Diamond Jubilee celebrations and also addressing the Special Joint Session of the Legislature this morning.
Addressing the law makers, President Kovind said that it was a memorable day for Parliamentary Democracy both for the country and for him. “It is truly memorable for me as I had taken oath as President of India in the presence of both Houses of Parliament on this very day, three months ago i.e. 25th July, 2017,” he said.
The President said, “Legislators are both public servants as well as nation builders. Anybody who performs his or her duties with honesty and dedication is a nation builder. Those who maintain this building are also nation builders. Those who provide it security are nation builders too. It is by the efforts of ordinary citizens who diligently carry out everyday tasks, that nations are built. As you sit and work in this Vidhana Soudha, I am confident you will never forget this and will continue to draw inspiration from it,” he said.
“Let us make this Diamond Jubilee not just the celebration of a proud past but a commitment to an even greater future. A future for Karnataka and a great future for India,” he added.
Democracy and elections
Dwelling on democracy and elections, Kovind said, “A rival in an election is a political competitor, not an enemy…”
“After the election, the competitor could become a colleague in the task of ensuring the well-being and development of a constituency or of our shared society. This is the beauty of a democratic polity that we must appreciate,” Kovind said.
“We are aware of the three ‘D’s of Legislature — it is a place to ‘Debate’, ‘Dissent’ and finally ‘Decide’ and if we add the fourth ‘D’ that is ‘Decency’, only then the fifth ‘D’ of a meaningful ‘Democracy’ becomes a reality.
On Tipu Sultan
Making a mention of Tipu Sultan in his address, the President said that Tipu Sultan died a heroic death fighting the British. “He was also a pioneer in the development and use of Mysore rockets in warfare. This technology was later adopted by the Europeans. More recently, two of our finest army chiefs — Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and General K.S. Thimmayya — were the sons of Karnataka,” he said.
Former CMs
Recalling the contributions of former Chief Ministers K.C. Reddy, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Kadidal Manjappa, S. Nijalingappa, D. Devaraj Urs, B.D Jatti, Ramakrishna Hegde, S.R. Bommai, Veerendra Patil and S.M. Krishna, President Kovind said both Houses of the Legislature jointly and collectively represent the will and aspirations of the people of Karnataka.
People’s aspirations
“The two Houses also represent the ideals and optimism and the energy and dynamism of the Kannadiga people and this building is a monument to the history of public service in Karnataka. It is for the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council to function as sacred temples of democracy, and contribute to raising the level of political and policy discourse,” he said.
Speaking on Karnataka, the President said, “Karnataka’s dreams are not for Karnataka alone. They are dreams for all of India. Karnataka is an engine of the Indian economy. It is a mini-India that draws — without losing its cultural and linguistic distinctiveness — youth from all over the country. They come here for knowledge and for jobs and they give the labour and intellect. This is how everybody gains.”
Documentaries to be screened
Today evening, two documentaries on the construction of the Vidhana Soudha and emergence of Legislature in Karnataka, directed by renowned filmmakers Girish Kasaravalli and T.N. Seetharam will be screened. Programmes depicting the art and culture of the State will be organised on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha, also called the Taj Mahal of South.
The Presidentnof India’s eulogy on Tipu Sultan reveals his ignorance of the entire history of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan’s rule,beginning from the wicked saga of Hyder Ali, forcibly removing the legitimate ruler and imprisoning the entire family. Theirs was not Ramarajya. It is not politically correct to say the truth these days, instead, Tipu Sultan is declared as a warrior who fought against British, totally ignoring the fact the legitimate rules was in his prison.
The liberation of Sriranga Patna and shifting of the Capital to Mysore saw the beginning of glorious period of Wadiyars’ rule, culminating in the real ramarajya of Krishnaraja Wadiyar who modernised Mysore, making it one of the modern cities in Asia, bringing electricity to the city which resulted in the industrial boom of the state, thanks to his Dewan Sir MV. The mention of this prominently would have been most appropriate. But Kovind was playing very politically correct game! That is the quality of the president this country has!!
Perhaps Kovind should have read the history of this period of Mysore-Srirangapatna to be specific seriously; before he became the President, he may not have known who Tipu Sultan was-most North Indians do not know and do not care to know.
Kovind’s observation that Tipu Sultan use of rockets as if it was the first time, flies in the face of facts known; his outrageous claim that this technology went to Europe adds to his ignorance. The principle of rockets in their elementary form as weapons were invented in China as early as 13th Century, used in battles during that period, and later it spread to other parts of the world. Kovind could have asked his grandson to verify this with a simple search in the Internet! Tipu Sultan arriving 500 years later , no wonder was aware of rockets as weapons.