Opinion Droupadi Murmu-Jagdeep Dhankhar: Marking firsts in New India

There are many firsts in terms of diversity and inclusion, from the Padma awards and the presidential nominations to significant representation in critical places like the council of ministers

Jagdeep Dhankar's public life as an elected representative and a legal activist will certainly provide an extra edge in running the affairs of the Rajya Sabha.

Guru Prakash Paswan

New DelhiJuly 18, 2022 07:43 PM IST First published on: Jul 18, 2022 at 07:43 PM IST

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King Jr.

More than 10 crore Indians, spread across 700 communities, are seeing a reflection of themselves, as one among them is set to occupy the highest constitutional office in the country. For a long time, in the history of our republic, the structures of power and governance were dominated by a select few. Although mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution, justice and equality remained a ceremonial ideal on the walls of the government offices, from village panchayats to Parliament. Representation and dignity remained a distant dream for the socially disadvantaged sections of our society. This is why the selection of Droupadi Murmu as the NDA presidential candidate is a defining moment. Murmu has ignited hope and aspiration in the hearts of millions of young girls and boys from the Dalit and the Adivasi samaj. The fact that she will succeed a man from a Dalit community makes it even more meaningful for students of social justice.

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The approach of a section of the Opposition parties in this case is regrettable. At one level, Murmu got the endorsement of a substantial group of non-NDA parties like the BJD, YSR Congress, JMM and the Shiv Sena, but she was verbally attacked by the senior Congress leader Ajoy Kumar, who said she represented “the evil philosophy of India”. She was also accused of being just a murti (sculpture) by Tejashwi Yadav. Parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal owe their existence to the idea of social justice but this mockery of a woman from a tribal community will not disappear from the collective subaltern memory. They are on the wrong side of history. Murmu, apart from being an able administrator as a governor, has also been recognised as one of the best performing MLAs by the Government of Odisha. Women in New India no longer require a particular surname, lineage or a pedigree to realise their limitless potential.

Similarly, the choice of Jagdeep Dhankhar for the position of Vice President is remarkable in multiple ways. His public life as an elected representative and a legal activist will certainly provide an extra edge in running the affairs of the Rajya Sabha. As a senior counsel of the Supreme Court for more than two decades, Dhankhar will definitely make the most of his expertise for deriving the maximum possible legislative output in the usually chaotic Rajya Sabha.

There are many firsts in terms of diversity and inclusion of those who remained excluded, from the Padma awards and the Presidential nominations to significant representation in critical places like the council of ministers. Durgabai Vyam and Sakini Ramachandraya, both from tribal communities, were chosen for the Padma awards. Three women from the Dalit community and a young voice from the Pasmanda group were included in the Uttar Pradesh council of ministers for the first time. This is the real democratisation, where the source of power is decentralised with the purpose of empowering the marginalised.

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The victory of Murmu and Dhankhar is written on the wall. The poverty of imagination and the sheer condescension displayed by a section of the Opposition for these elections will hopefully serve as a lesson for future generations of political activists. While the vision of the makers of the Constitution was being realised, parties like the Congress and RJD ensured hassles as a woman from the Santhal community marched towards Rashtrapati Bhawan.

What the Opposition desperately needs today is a new political vocabulary. In New India, everyone is a stakeholder. Being stuck in the old-time narrative of caste and class will not work now. When the focus of the government is towards saturation (truptikaran) in terms of implementation of the schemes, the Opposition is stuck in the appeasement (tushtikaran) of communities.

The writer is assistant professor, Patna University and national spokesperson, BJP