Policy concerns must be pushed into electoral agendas of all major political parties: J. Sai Deepak

Mysore/Mysuru: With his second book ‘India, Bharat and Pakistan: The Constitutional Journey of a Sandwiched Civilisation’ in the trilogy all set to become a best-seller, Supreme Court advocate and noted orator J. Sai Deepak has argued that a civilisational understanding of India is imperative in the present scenario.

The second book, Sai Deepak continues the subject he began in the first book, ‘India That Is Bharat’. It investigates the combined impact of European and Middle Eastern coloniality on Bharat as the successor state to Indian culture, as well as the roots of the Indian Constitution. The book comprehends India’s history from a decolonial perspective.

Sai Deepak was in city last evening to participate in a lecture and interaction session on his second book at Vijnana Bhavan in Manasagangothri campus. The event was organised by HH Sri Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar Foundation.

Addressing a packed auditorium, Sai Deepak began his talk by mentioning the Karnataka Government’s decision to withdraw the much-publicised move to freeing temples from Government control due to certain ‘bureaucratic tangles’.

“When the Government announced that it will free all temples from all Government control, the news hit the headlines. But when the Government announced that it will step back, it did not even figure in any media,” he said.

Conservative vs liberal

Moving on further, he said that the state of the Hindu society today is largely a product of this policy of accommodation, concession and moderation. “And therefore, it is a slippery slope where you see absolutely nothing worthy of preservation. I proudly see myself as a proud conservative as it is the conservative who will see the value of preserving something of the past rather than a liberal,” he said.

Policy concerns must be pushed into electoral agendas of all major political parties. “We must be in a better position from a policy perspective. Those holding power in policy matters must be held accountable on the promises made and deliveries,” he noted.

“We come together to boycott a movie as it hurts religious sentiment, but we are not bothered to give importance to policies that have larger implications. We latch on to small and myopic seeming victories and let go of everything that is important. We let an elephant slip through our hands but we cry over something as minute as its tail,” he rued.

Key to Dharmic survival

Dharmic religious institutions hold the key to Dharmic survival. “If you really want to ask questions, ask hard questions of yourself as an individual, as a community, your priorities, the priorities of your so-called elected leaders and organisations who promised something and are delivering something else. Ask them what they have done in the interest of the community. Unless and until you raise your voice against injustice you face at every step, there is absolutely no hope for us,” Sai Deepak said.

Large parts of India have not been subjected to ‘Pakistanification’ and one must count this as blessings. “We live in an agenda-driven world and no one is neutral. A reader/viewer must decipher the truth as each person presents his/her narrative with conviction and gusto. Make a right and informed choice in the wake of many narratives,” he said.

Politics and policy push

Differentiating between politics and policy push, the Supreme Court advocate said that while policy is long term and has larger ramifications, politics is ephemeral. “It is important to build a core group of people or a core group of institutions whose only job is to preserve your interest and advance your agenda. Because political actors will have their own incentives, pulls and tongues, mostly they come from outside,” he said.

“We need conservatives, hardliners to the core. The value of conservatism is which the crumbling societies of America and Europe are realising fast after having given way to hyper individualism where the core unit of the family system has been destroyed beyond recognition. I don’t see a point in living in a country which provides great infrastructure, roads and amazing roads but whose societal structure has completely made way for the most hedonistic, chaotic kind of life imaginable,” he revealed.

Debating platform

Outlining his future plans, Sai Deepak said that the plan is to build a platform for the next generation to debate and present ideas in a convincing way. “It will be a forum for dharmic articulation. The idea is to get more youngsters into the debating platform, teaching them to present an argument, present facts. It will hone and sharpen their skills with guidance from subject matter specialists,” he said.