By Dhurjati Mukherjee
In his letter to the citizens on ‘Constitution Day’ or ‘Samvidhan Divas’, Prime Minister Modi waxed eloquence on the citizens’ primary responsibility to perform duties without in any way upholding their justiciable fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution or other constitutional rights central to the individuals to lead a dignified life.
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Modi may be right in quoting Gandhi who said rights of individuals flowed from the duties, but the latter was always concerned about the poor and the marginalised getting their due share of rights. Gandhi himself moved a resolution on Fundamental Rights in 1931 in the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress and it, among others, contained Freedom of Press, Freedom to Profess Religion, equal rights and obligations of all citizens, without any bar on account of sex and above all religious neutrality of the state.
Further, in a letter to MS Masani on June 4, 1934, almost three years after he moved the resolution on Fundamental Rights, he wrote, “What is necessary is that labourers or workers should know their rights and should also know how to assert them”. While saying so, he also remarked, “And since there never has been any right with a corresponding duty, in my opinion a manifesto is incomplete without emphasising the necessity of performance of duty and showing what that duty is.”
The manner in which Modi has been asking citizens to carry out their duties without any obligation of the State to ensure basic rights to the citizens, which have been eroded in recent years, is no doubt a subject of concern.
Tragically, Modi or his government is little concerned about rights, which are not being enjoyed by a large section which includes unorganised workers, farm labourers, child workers, bonded labourers etc.
The sermon about duties may sound somewhat authoritarian, given the fact that a democratic State has the dual responsibility to ensure that duties are performed by its citizens while also seeing to it that they are not deprived of their rights.
While there is much talk of the economy moving fast in terms of GDP growth, there is no analysis of how much money is allocated for the welfare of the lowest 20 percent, who are not only poor and marginalised but are also victims to environmental hazards like floods, cyclones and sea-level rise, almost every year. The reason for this is obvious as those who formulate government strategy—whether politicians, bureaucrats or technocrats—have little knowledge and concern about how the poorer sections have to struggle for earning their livelihood.
It goes without saying that basic rights must be ensured to all sections of the population to ensure that happiness and justice prevail in society.
Finally, we may refer to Gandhi who had cautioned in the late 30s of the previous century—“…there are no such two classes here that one of them should exercise only rights and the other discharge only duties”. He remarked: “If a ruler shirks his duties while the people do theirs then the people become the ruler.” A ruler by doing his duty and considering himself as the trustee of his people would survive, he observed, but cautioned “if he becomes authoritarian, he cannot survive in this age.”
