BJP and opposition battle will intensify after November 8

The fight between the BJP and its political adversaries would be intensified after November 8, irrespective of the outcome of Bihar Assembly polls.

While former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday expressed the need of coming together of liberal and secular people to protect the integrity of our Republic, historian Irfan Habib, journalist Kumar Ketkar also felt the same.

They expressed their views on the current developments, especially growing intolerance in the country, at a national conference here on “No peace without freedom; No freedom without peace: Securing Nehru’s legacy and India’s future: Agenda for Action” as key speakers.

Taking a dig at detractors of Jawaharlal Nehru, eminent historian Irfan Habib said people whose ideological ancestors had no role in the national movement are trying to negate the role and contribution of the first Prime Minister of India.

“Today national movement is not only forgotten, but violently misrepresented... Particularly the legacy of Nehru by those people whose ideological ancestors go back to persons... Having no role in national movement,” the 84-year-old scholar said in his keynote address.

“In fact, they had opposed it... They are trying to find heroes in it... They are particularly trying to negate the role of the Father of the Nation as also Jawaharlal Nehru,” Mr Habib said. He also made a strong plea to build up platforms to protect the legacy of Nehru, “even if there cannot be electoral alliances”.

He regretted that the Karachi resolution has been “forgotten by the organisation which gave it”. The resolution, which spelt out the vision of a secular and socialist India, was drafted by Nehru after the suspension of the civil disobedience movement. Mahatma Gandhi added to it an important provision that of scaling down of rural indebtedness.