POSITIVE NATIONALISM - The foundation of India’s future

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Foundation of future’s India
POSITIVE NATIONALISM
GOPAL RAI

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INDEX
Contents
Positive Nationalism – One.............................................................................................................................................. 5
Positive Nationalism – Two...........................................................................................................................................12
The Ideology Prevailing Today and the Aam Aadmi Party..........................................................................21
The Importance of Mahatma Gandhi’s Thoughts Today...............................................................................32
Bhagat Singh’s dreams for India.................................................................................................................................40
Meaning of Indian-ness ...................................................................................................................................................43
The Challenges in our Country and their solutions.........................................................................................46
Need for Secularism to Strengthen the Country................................................................................................56
Status of Women in Indian Society............................................................................................................................59
Safety of women in present times..............................................................................................................................65
Caste system in India........................................................................................................................................................71
Indian society and the Reservation System.........................................................................................................73
Social Justice and Indian Politics ...............................................................................................................................77
Role of Youth in Nation-Building................................................................................................................................82
Scientific Temperament in the Context of Indian Society............................................................................85
Problem of Unemployment and its Solution........................................................................................................89
Defence of the Constitution and its Values...........................................................................................................94

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Two Words ……
I want to remind the citizens of this country, especially the young boys and girls of this country
that we got our independence after a long struggle. A culmination of a long struggle between 1757
and 1857 ended on August 15, 1947, during which time lakhs of lives were sacrificed. If you desire
for independence to be kept intact then it involves a lot of struggle and martyrdom. I have no
qualms in stating that the dreams of independence that we envisaged were not entirely fulfilled.
We are all Indians and present an excellent example of a mixed culture to the world. The mixed
cultures that the world’s developed democracies advocate as a mandatory building block to
maintain peace and progress of their countries, has already existed in our country for 1000’s of
years. I sincerely believe that we need a new independent revolution once again, for which we
need to develop a society with a scientific temper. The youth will have to be given access to very
high quality education, besides giving them access to better health, modernization of agriculture
and farming (agriculture), creating new employment opportunities, besides developing an
ideological awareness amongst the youth, from which they can as individuals gain immense mental
strength and self-confidence, with which they can take their society and country forward. Love for
the country, love for each other, peace and an honest political leadership are essential elements.
Through the medium ‘Desh ki Baat’, I want to appeal to India’s youth and the common man to
join in this campaign for a positive change, with these emotions and awareness.
This book on Positive Nationalism is a compilation of my lectures, thoughts and ideas,
expressed in various talks organized by ‘Desh ki Baat’. The individual who gave shape to this
book, is not amongst us today. The entire credit for this book goes to late Dr. Pradip Kumar Singh,
who was the professor in Hindi at the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University and Delhi University. I
want to therefore dedicate this book to the memory of Dr. Pradip Singh. I believe this concept of
positive nationalism will help instill love for the country and also help spread social, economic,
and political awareness amongst the general public. Besides, through this book, Pradip Ji, will
remain alive amidst us.
This book was possible only because of the tireless, hard work of Ritu Rani, Upendra
Kumar, Dr. Manoj Kumar Singh and Seema Joshi. Professor Gauhar Raza gave his valuable
feedback on the manuscript, for which my heartfelt thanks. After publishing the Hindi version of
this book with the cooperation of above-mentioned people, there was a demand by many to prepare
an English translation of this book to reach to wider audience. Senior journalist, Vijay Laxmi
Nadar played an important role in preparing this English edition. The contributions of Harshil,
Manoj, Prashanth and Rohit were also commendable.
All invaluable suggestions towards improving this book is welcome.
Gopal Rai

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Preface
This book is a compilation of Gopal Rai’s thoughts and ideas, which he has expressed in different
talks and lectures, delivered in various places.
In Feb 2018, he started the ‘Desh Ki Baat’ program, which is now being conducted in all
of Delhi’s Vidhan Sabhas. This in essence is an ideological platform, available to every individual
by association, and they can express their thoughts and ideas on various social, political, economic
and cultural issues, through it.
Slowly and steadily, this platform has been made available to the educated youth, with
regular discussions and programs being held in educational institutes under the ‘Desh Ki Baat’
banner. Several programs have already been held in the various colleges of Delhi University, under
this banner and the program has since then gained widespread acceptance amongst the youth.
The prevailing condition in the country today is such that it has become mandatory for the
youth, farmers, labourers, women, those from the backward classes and other weaker sections of
society to come together and talk about employment, education and social progress as a result of
it. They need to make the necessary changes in their behavior and attitude after recognizing and
identifying positive aspects of history and imbibing its positive aspects in their everyday life.
In this context, from the platform of `Desh Ki Baat’ AAP’s concept of “nationalism” and
“patriotism”, has been freshly explained. In addition, it has also expressed and cleared its
ideological commitment. This is Gopal Rai’s political acumen, that through ideological debates,
he has etched positive nationalism as a powerful political symbol in the minds of his listeners.
Positive Nationalism is that ideological connection, through which the Aam Aadmi Party’s
political process and their modus operandi can be understood.
Positive Nationalism is in essence is that political arrangement which carries with it, its
tradition, history, cultural and those political aspects, to ensure that even the last person in society
gets the fundamental right to live in dignity, irrespective of whichever caste, religion or sect he
belongs to. To achieve this, we need to have a clear understanding and knowledge of the positive
aspects of our inheritance. Only then can we strive to better our future.
On the basis of the writings in this book, any reader can easily get a better understanding
of AAP’s ideology.
In these transcriptions of Gopal Rai’s lectures, expressing his ideology, we also get a
thorough glimpse into AAP’s ideologies as well.
Pradip Kumar Singh

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Positive Nationalism – One
When the term Positive Nationalism is first mentioned, the first question that comes to mind is
whether there is such a thing as Negative Nationalism too? After that our mind, our brain, wonders
about the origin of that word ‘nationalism’ which is at the core of both. How did it then turn into
positive and negative nationalism?
You know that in the world, several arrangements have been involved in the evolution of
human society. For example, India is a country. A country in itself is not a nation. India existed
yesterday, it exists today and will continue to exist tomorrow too. But in this country, to make
progress possible for the people, we used several arrangements and thought processes to reach
here. Rest of the world did it too.
Like in the country and in the world, there was a primitive system. Slowly and steadily
people started discovering agricultural tools for their progress. And an agricultural system was
born. Civilization happened. The instruments of civilization existed in this country too. Society
started growing gradually, in search of its progress. In different parts of this country, a feudal
system existed. They claimed to be the owners of their territory.
They soon derived power from it. Then our country and the world progressed and a
monarchy system was formed. This system helped the individual rulers prosper with the kingdoms
in their possession.
In an ordinary sense, in the country, several empires flourished. In this country sometimes
there was an empire for five kings and sometimes an empire for 10 kings, and sometimes an empire
for 100 kings. But the country was India only, then called Bharat. Country did not change, but the
tools and thought processes, the methods to operate society and to help it progress kept changing.
Even in different parts of the world, different kinds of systems emerged.
In France, the exploitation by the monarchy, and the lack of accountability to the people
made the people revolt. A thought process emerged against the monarchy and against the state
machinery. In this process, the idea of a nation and the idea that the entire country is one took birth.
People living in different countries felt they should have independence, that here should be
equality, and that brotherhood should prevail. The difference between the king and the subjects
should end. To replace the state machinery, the idea of a national system evolved. But while
evolving, this thought process took on many shapes. In this process, the way we are discussing
today, it grew in a positive direction, as well as in a negative direction. In Europe, whether it was
in Italy or in Germany, there have been maximum instances of negative nationalism.

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I would like to tell you one thing, that if someone asks you, what is positive nationalism
and what is negative nationalism? Then the answer to this is that both talk of taking the country
forward. Both say that nationalism is a one stop solution for all the problems that exist in society
but the process of both is very different. The foundation of negative nationalism is hate and the
foundation of positive nationalism is love. All those who on the basis of hate collectively exhibit
their power, then it is negative nationalism and those who on the basis of love talk of bringing
people together, and exhibit their power, then it is positive nationalism.
Taking this into account, in the world and in the country several deep experiments have
happened.
Today in the country, the kind of claims that Rashtriya Swamyamsewak Sangh (RSS) and
the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are making, they are not saying openly that they want to make a
Hindu Rashtra. That they want to make it for their own power and glory. They are trying to make
us believe that this country has been a slave for centuries. And it is because of this slavery that
unemployment happened, that because of the slavery, women were harassed, because of the
slavery the country regressed, because of the slavery, people did not get education. According to
them if there were no Muslims in this country, then there would not be any unemployment here.
That in this country, people would have got educated on their own and would have equal rights.
That there would be no casteism. But the entire country knows this now that they are lying.
In totality, negative nationalism tried to get in power by spreading hate. We therefore have
lessons to learn from the world, about the outcome of this in their countries. In the world, there
were two major experiments on this. In Germany, Hitler created hate against the Jews. He gave
out a slogan that if Jews are finished then all of Germany’s problems will be solved and Germany
will emerge as the best nation in the world. Lakhs of Jews, as well as Germans were massacred as
a result of the foundation of hate, on the basis of which the nation was sought to be conceptualized,
and the experiment that followed. Innocent people were killed. Secondly Hitler too had to commit
suicide. Because, if you spread hate, spread negative energy, then it will engulf you one day. That
is the law of nature. Thirdly in the name of Germany, using nationalism as a cover, the killings
that happened, the subjugation that happened, is the darkest black blot in the history of humanity.
After that, Germany broke. This is the result of an experiment in negative nationalism. It is a well-
documented chapter in the history books.
RSS/BJP is following the same international model of negative nationalism. They want to
implement the German model in India. Can the followers of RSS, with their negative ideology,
carry their negative nationalism forward? Can they in their own country kill lakhs of people like it
was done in Germany? Do they have an answer to the question of whether their hero will not kill
himself like Hitler did? Do they have an answer to this question, whether the fragmentation that
happened in Germany, won’t happen in India too, if on the basis of the negative thinking, we keep
following a path of negative nationalism?

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If we like Germany, follow a path of negative nationalism, use a foundation of hate to push
forward our love for the nation, then all these three dangers will automatically materialize.
The second experiment happened in the country during the freedom struggle. East India
company came to India. People started raising their voice against it gradually. It was because
during that time, there existed different kingdoms. Ruled by different rulers. They were
independent of each other. But gradually they came together to form a unity in the country. In the
1857 war of independence, people from all over the country came together and in India positive
nationalism started to take shape. Their first idea was only one religion, one caste, one language,
one region, can give birth to nationalism. This experiment in India in 1857, laid the foundation
stone for an opposite thought where people from different religions, different castes, different
languages, and people from different regions can all come together for the country to create a fresh
path to take the country forward. This was in complete antithesis of the concept of Germany’s hate
filled nationalism and a love-based nationalism started to take shape.
If you try to analyse the strength behind the positive nationalism that surfaced in the 1857
war, then you will understand that when positive nationalism takes shape, it motivates even a
Bahadur Shah Zafar and Nana Saheb to sacrifice their all.
When the emotions of positive nationalism surge forward, then the queen of Jhansi and
Begum Hazrat Mahal, too are inspired to sacrifice. When feelings of positive nationalism powers
you, then even Ajimullah Khan and Tatya Tope are moved to give up their lives. It is only positive
nationalism which inspires you to surrender completely to the love for the country. It is this driving
force which finally helped our ancestors uproot the 100-year-old East India company, which ruled
between 1757 and 1857.
On 14 May 1857, this country became independent and remained free till 21 September
1857. After that, the Britishers consolidated their army from all over in Delhi and again captured
India. Britishers started wondering how to rule this country. They conducted an experiment in
India in 1905. Before that, Lord Macaulay came to India from England, because feelings of
defiance started stirring again. People had started raising their voices in different places. In this
experiment that they conducted in India for the first time, they created a division between Hindus
and Muslims, in the country.
They started applying the European nationalism ideologies experiment amidst our people.
Their first experiment started in West Bengal. They split West Bengal into two, one Hindu Bengal
and one Muslim Bengal. Britishers started sowing the seeds of negative nationalism, so that India’s
unity gets fragmented and their rule could move forward. Their exploitation and their slavery
system could take root. The second conclusive observation of negative nationalism is that it creates
a divide between people, putting them in separate sets, to be able to rule them conveniently. It also
forms a weapon to keep up the system of slavery and exploitation alive.

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The entire country stood up against the division of Bengal. In ordinary terms, we know that
there was no internet at that time, there was no social media, not many newspapers either, no
television channel. Those days there were not many modes of transport. Still there was a strong
thought, which is what enabled the whole country to stand up against the division. Bengal’s
division revolved around negative nationalism, and against it there arose an ideology of positive
nationalism spearheaded by and under the guidance of Lal-Bal-Pal, and a loud cry rang out against
it throughout the country. Otherwise what Punjab born Lala Lajpat Rai had to do with Bengal or
what Maharashtra born Bal Gangadhar Tilak had to do with it.
In olden days, in this country, in the north, Mughals ruled and on the other side Marathas
were ruling. If something happened in Maratha ruled regions, then Mughals had no concern with
it. If Pallavas ruled somewhere, or Hunon’s ruled elsewhere, then none were concerned about each
other’s rule. But during the independence struggle a new consciousness surfaced. A positive
thought pushed forth. As a result, if Punjab was divided then pain was felt by Bengal too and when
Bengal was divided, the pain was felt by Maharashtra too. In 1905, an agitation called Swadeshi
(native) and Swaraj (self-rule) started in India. Britishers tasted defeat. Calcutta was their capital.
They had to flee from there. They came to Delhi and settled here. After that, in his report Lord
Macaulay, stated that unless and until India is not divided at a thought level, it is impossible to rule
here, because this is where thoughts of positive unity had taken birth.
To make their task easy for themselves, in the independence struggle, they laid the
foundation for two organizations and two institutions. One was named the Muslim league and the
other was named Hindu Mahasabha. ‘Hindu Mahasabha’s thoughts later merged with that of the
RSS. It is well known that during the entire independence struggle the presence of RSS was
missing. From the ones who claim to love their country, it is also expected that in the struggle for
independence, that they too would sacrifice something for the country. During the entire
independence struggle, the Muslim league and Hindu Mahasabha or RSS’s supporters never raised
slogans for India’s independence. Never sacrificed anything for the freedom of the country. Both
these organizations encouraged negativity in the country and the result of this, in 1905 a state stood
divided.
The entire country stood up to oppose it, because there was a positive thought too evident
in the country. But the British succeeded in their efforts in 1947 and in 1947, and a division
happened in the country. The country was finally divided into two. There is so much poison
generated in our brains by negative nationalism that when the country is fragmented, that the issue
concerning the country still seems distant.
People are mistaken that in Germany only the Jews were killed. The rule that is formed, on
the basis of negative nationalism, on the basis of hate, that rule is not threatened by the minority.
Minority cannot make the rule or break it. When you seize power, at one time by making the

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majority a gobbler, then the threat is not from the minority. The threat is from the majority itself.
This is what happened both in India and in Germany.
In the second experiment that happened in India, while Mohammed Jinnah took charge of
Muslim League, Golwalkar took charge of the Hindu Mahasabha (RSS). After this, one idea gained
momentum that if in the country, people of two religions coexist, then that nation can never become
strong. As a result, two nations were formed, India and Pakistan. And what was the result? If on
the basis of religion, a country can grow and prosper, and become strong, then there would be no
need for Pakistan to divide further. In history this aspect is an established fact. Everybody knows
that Pakistan was divided and Bangladesh was formed. Besides, even after forming a Muslim
nation, what is the state of the people there?
This is also something which we all know. Pakistan became a Muslim nation, but the
children of all Muslims did not get a guarantee of an education. When a nation is created on the
basis of religion, all the people will not be automatically guaranteed an education and employment.
Just by forming a nation on the basis of religion, not everyone is guaranteed equal rights. By
forming a nation on the basis of religion, men and women are not treated equally and with
respectability. By forming a nation on the basis of religion, an opening happened for maximum
attacks on mosques by terrorists. The biggest and live example of this is when bombs were dropped
in Pakistan on those praying and terrorism was born. People were forced to live in the shadows of
fear. Communities were deprived of reading. People yearned for healthcare. Their heroes were
killed instead, and Pakistan got divided to form Bangladesh.
In India, there is a demand to repeat this experiment. Negative nationalism is not India’s
requirement. In India by demanding a return of negative nationalism, there is an effort to destroy
the country. We are not making an effort to open our eyes and really see what really happened in
Germany. We are not willing to see what happened in Pakistan. There is a growing insistence that
we will self-destruct too. And we will do it, because we have made Hitler our guru. He may have
succeeded once upon a time. But results show that if no country, no society, no community learns
from past experiences, then it is a matter of great pain. Even a child learns. When he sees fire for
the first time, then a new curiosity is born. He wants to understand what fire really is. He puts his
hand in it and is burnt. He puts his hand in it again and he burns himself and then even that small
kid eventually understands that if he puts his hand in the fire, he will burn.
But this nation is such a big organization and its directors do not understand this one thing
that if the country is thrust in the fire of negative nationalism, then the country will move on the
path of destruction and will be eventually fragmented. Such a path leading to success has not
emerged in history, in the present and neither is there any hope of it emerging in the future. That
is why it is important to move towards the idea of positive nationalism.
What is positive nationalism?

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Like I told you before, that based on the foundation of love, positive nationalism gathers
positive energy and is a sure path to move forward. Japan has successfully established this. If you
remember, Germany had lost to Russia. During World War II, Hitler was defeated by Russians.
Do you know why they beat him? Hitler was fighting on the strength of his army, and Russia was
fighting on the strength and passion of its citizens. Whichever corners of Russia, German soldiers
went into, there was no force there. But every child there had love for his country. In every village,
every lane, in every colony, people sacrificed their lives to protect their country’s security. They
sacrificed their lives for it because they felt that their country was doing something for them. If we
want this country to move ahead then it will move ahead on the basis of love. We do not have to
look far for its foundation. We have a live example before us too and it happened during and after
the independence struggle. We even managed to create a positive model - our constitution.
Indian constitution is the foundation of positive nationalism. It opens the path for a
guaranteed equality amongst all citizens in the country. It opens the path for financial opportunities
for all the people. If you read the preamble of the constitution of India, then the first thing that is
written is, “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign,
Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic and to secure for its citizens, Justice, Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity
For today’s negative nationalism expert’s, the biggest enemy is our constitution. That is
why, they are in a desperate hurry to get a majority in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, because
the only way for them to fulfil their dream is through the parliament. Until and unless they change
the constitution, their idea of negative nationalism will never bear fruit and their dreams cannot be
accomplished. That is why you can see the efforts that are being taken in all four directions, to
fulfil one purpose only. They know that at its core, Indians are very positive in their outlook and
they are very scared of this.
I want to tell you this. That we loved this country yesterday, we love it today and we will
continue to love it tomorrow too. It is the responsibility of all those who love this country to
unmask those powers and thoughts that are out to fragment this country, who order killings in the
country, in the process regressing the progress of the entire country behind. Show their real truths
to the people. There is a saying that goes, “phir pachtave hot kya, jab chidiya chug gayi khet”
(what is the use of regretting, after the bird has flown away, after clearing the fields of the grains).
Even now there is time. I say it again and again and would like to repeat again that in the world
many countries have been created, several plots exist, but India is a wonderful country. There
exists a number of problems in the country, but India has the ability to tackle them.
The amount of fertile land that India has, very few countries of the world have. The number
of rivers that India has, very few countries have that many rivers flowing through them. The
amount of agricultural produce that India generates, very few countries in the world do. The
number of seasons that India has, very few countries have them. The labor strength that India has,

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very few countries can boast of it. Today all over the world, the country’s sons and daughters by
virtue of the strength of their hard work, are contributing to the progress of that country. The
intelligence that nature has bestowed on the Indians, given them the capacity to bear pain, no other
country in the world can claim that.
Today whichever country you see progressing, if you peep behind the curtains to look at
the contributors in its success story, then you will find some Indian son or daughter only.
India has everything. Only thing that needs to be done is to develop a positive ideology,
and it needs to be birthed in the country. On the basis of that positive ideology, guaranteed
education can be offered to every son and daughter. India has that much thinking and that much
resources. It makes no difference if the child is born in the slum, or in a big house. India can
become like that country, which on its own strength can guarantee better education, to every son
and daughter born in that country. To every mother and father and to every child, the Indian
government can guarantee better care and treatment. Justice can be guaranteed to every person in
the country, especially if he is weak, because of financial reasons, or because of social reasons.
India has the ability to develop through all its languages and all its dialects, a meaningful dialogue
through all its complexities.
In this country, whichever caste, religion, language, region the new generation is born in,
the positive energy that is there in them, without any distinction if that energy is gathered together,
not only can India write its story of progress, but can bring more progress to the rest of the world
too. Can bring a glow to the faces of Indians. Without worrying, without creating hate, this work
can be done. Along with this, whoever is unhappy in this world, who is poor, who is burdened by
injustice, for them too positive energy can be the only solace. India can do the work of taking the
progress of mankind to new heights.
To give completion to this thought, we need to create emotions of positive nationalism,
positive love for the country, within us. Along with this, we will have to confront those people
who spread hate and negativity. In India we need to not only protect our positive thoughts but also
need to develop them. We can create a new India, with which not only India but the world can get
a new direction too.

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Positive Nationalism – Two
The word ‘country’ is such a word that most Indians love the sound of it. When the sound of
‘country’ reaches us deep inside, through our ears, then the mind experiences some warm tickling.
While living your life in utter selfishness, just ready to do everything for just oneself, people
sometimes feel that they should rise above themselves and do something. In Indians the feelings
of philanthropy and charity are embedded deep inside. This emotion has been used beneficially
and has been badly abused as well. This is a kind of emotional energy, which if channelized
properly can be transformed like the energy of an atom bomb, and if bent in the wrong direction
can result in a terrible holocaust like in Hiroshima, Nagasaki too. In this energy of emotions, both
powers co-exist.
Today, at the point we are standing, we need to think with a cool head, understand the
situation and then take steps in the journey to carry this country forward, for which we need to
make our contributions too. What happened in the past, who all did what, under what
circumstances, is not in anyone’s control? Today however in what circumstances, who is doing
what is our concern. We can feel that but are quietly in turmoil. No capacity to do anything. But
what will happen to the country’s future? In this we can play a small role. For that the most
important thing to do is to change your thoughts. If thoughts don’t change, the country cannot
change. Just by changing the government, the country does not change. If all the people are
removed from the country, or for a second think if they are bundled into a corner and simply left
there, can the country be saved? How can it be saved? When you start thinking of the country, start
loving the country and wish for the wellbeing of the country, but minus out a few of the fellow
countrymen, then you are not really looking at the country. Ask yourself, if in this country, you
identify with Indians living in remote Manipur as your country men or no? The Adivasis living in
the jungles, are they residents of this country or not? Does this country belong to them or not? The
Dalits, who spent their entire life in the service of others, are they not part of this country? Those
lakhs and lakhs of farmers, does this country belong to them or not? The laborer who works day
and night to build those big structures, does this country belong to them or not?
We will have to seriously think, if this country belongs only to those who are strong and
capable? In any corner of this huge motherland that stretches from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from
Kutch to Manipur, can sons and daughters born in any caste, in any religion be residents of this
country or not? If this idea is not captured in our mind, then whatever good we think for the
country, or whatever we do for the country will be a big waste. Even if we put in all our strength
for this country, it is quite possible then that we instead of creating positive energy, end up with
Hiroshima and Nagasaki like situation and whatever is still left in this country gets destroyed.

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The second thing I want to tell you is that we dream of making the country strong and
powerful, but on a day to day basis, it becomes difficult to think positively like this every day.
Delhi is the capital, but for most people it becomes difficult to comprehend how a farmer from
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh Haryana, Punjab and others, lives after working so hard
the whole day? What does he think of this country? What does an Adivasi think of this country?
What are their dreams for the country?
Women become prey to men’s brutality just because they are women. What do they think
of this country? People following different religions live in this country. When a community gets
a bad name, sometimes for unnecessary reasons, simply for following a religion of their choice,
and are insulted, what do they think of this country? If no group discussions, addressing collective
concerns is initiated between these people then the country cannot progress ahead.
Today the nation is being discussed. The concept of a nation was conceived in Europe.
Their understanding was that if in a country, people of one language, one species, one breed live,
then the country would be very powerful. When you look back in the pages of history and see how
the altar of nationalism was established in Europe, on the basis of these very conditions, and yet
in that society, killings were initiated on a mass scale.
Today in India, we have this question before us, since we all want the country to be strong,
the country’s economy to be strong, the country's social standing and moral fabric to be strong and
the country's political process to be strong too. But how can it happen? This needs to be pondered
over. I always give this example that in the market you can get the real as well as the fake gold. If
one does not have a discerning eye, then the fake gold shines much brighter than the real gold. In
this country, they are doing these things, because many people do not understand it and they want
to keep the people ignorant. Whatever thinking and understanding agencies are there, attempts are
being made to kill them first. Attempts are being made in this country, to finish off that ability to
discern between the real and fake gold. But we will have to understand this, or else for this country
and for crores of its countrymen, there is no alternative path to progress.
The first point I am trying to ingrain in you and want you to think and understand is that
no country, no nation can be strong unless the collective strength of the countrymen staying there
becomes strong. Till every kid does not feel empowered economically, socially, culturally and
politically, till then the country cannot become strong. The path that will be created by bringing
together everybody’s collective energy, is what will give it that positive outlook and take it
forward.
The second thing I want to discuss is that the negative nationalistic forces think that if this
country has to be made strong, then the diversity that exists in this country should be destroyed. If
it cannot be destroyed, then it should be forgotten. Despite the fact that this country is beautiful
because it is a bouquet. It is said here that even a lotus becomes a rose here. Even if it’s a marigold,
it becomes a rose here. This is never going to happen. There is only one way to make the

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fragmentation happen and that is by destroying all the flowers in this mother land and save only
the rose. Nature did not create a way for all flowers to turn into a rose. Whatever these people are
doing in the name of Indian culture and tradition, it is very important to understand these dangerous
trends and make people aware of them too.
The way it was discussed now, in India on the social and economic front, many anomalies
have existed. If you read ancient history, then you will see a different kind of India. If you read the
history during the middle ages, you will see a different side of the country. Today you may see
negativity in all this, but if in India’s inheritance everything had been negative, then India would
not be where it is today. In our inheritance, there have been positive aspects too which these people
do not want to see. We discuss Manusmriti very often, which has caused several disruptions in
Indian society, and before we knew it, it became established norms.
Did India not exist before Manusmriti ? Did India have a well-established tradition or not,
before Manusmriti ? This aspect needs to be understood.
Those who want to create a nation today, by beading together India’s negative cultural
traits and those who want to criticize them, are also confined to the negative traits of Indian society
and Indian culture.
In ordinary terms, when we start challenging these experts of negative nationalism, then
we slowly start running towards foreign land for examples. We bring examples from other
countries. It’s a good thing, there is nothing wrong in it. But to get the full picture, you will have
to place examples of Indian society and Indian tradition and also try to understand what India really
is about. And what is the Indian framework?
In India before Manusmriti, four Vedas (Hindu sacred writings) were born. Nine
philosophies move ahead. This is the same country where Jain philosophy is born. This is the same
country where Buddhist philosophy is born. This is the same country where the numbers
philosophy is born. This is the same country where justice philosophy, specialist epistemology and
monism are born. It was never part of the country’s tradition, to destroy all the flowers, to create
the rose flower, like that is the only flower that is perfect and the ultimate.
There were very less universities in this country then and very less people were educated
too. Today of course many people have their degrees. The citizens of this country can contain all
nine philosophies, nine different thought processes, and are capable of putting it into practice. In
a similar way, you must have heard a lot in discussions, that in this country, in ancient times, there
were many knowledgeable and scholarly men. That happened because at that time there was a
possibility for arguments and counter arguments.
Do you know that in ancient history and after that till the Arya Samaj and till the freedom
struggle, there was a tradition of scriptures in this country? You also had full freedom to place

15
your opinions supported with arguments. Today it is not possible in universities, nor in colleges.
But all this used to happen in our villages. It’s strong points and weak points are another subject
matter altogether. But what I am trying to say is that today’s nationalism is negative, which talks
about finishing everything to make the country powerful, which will only destroy this country, is
not our culture.
In India, even in the Vedic culture, the definition of this kind of unity is not available. And
after that also it needs to be seen that in the middle ages, the Mughals ruled. But it is in the middle
ages that Sur, Raidas, Rahim and Nanak are born. The entire protest in this era of devotion is
India’s inheritance.
Through Kabirdas, it is very much part of the Indian tradition to raise questions on the
destructive tendencies of the completely negative, conservative tradition. That is why I want to tell
you this, that whenever you think of the country, if you can perceive the images of the people who
live here, in your mind, then you will be able to really see the country.
If you are thinking of the country, and if an image of the crores of laborers does not pop
up in your head, if you cannot see the image of the sad farmer who after working day and night, is
still worrying about his daughter’s wedding and if you cannot see a Adivasi struggling for his
survival, if you cannot see those from the Dalit community who are insulted just on the basis of
their caste, which is not their crime, after all it is not in our hands who will be born where ? If you
cannot see all this, then you see a whole lot of things, but you do not see the country.
In respect of the country, the little lies and truths that have been created to reach our brain,
those are false pictures. Whether it is broken or recreated, it will not impact the country moving
ahead.
I would also like to tell you, that during the struggle for freedom, in the country,
nationalism took shape. Today the kind of nationalism that is being sought to be established, an
option for it exists in the many examples of Indian tradition. We all know that during the freedom
struggle, in the battle of Plassey in 1757, when Lord Clive built a battle fort, the first man who
picked up the fight against him was not a Hindu, but a Muslim. It was Siraj-Ud-Daula, the 24-
year-old young man who refused to compromise with Lord Clive.
Mir Jaffer was that commander who had a lot of experience. But he sold himself to Lord
Clive. Siraj-Ud-Daula became a martyr, but refused to compromise. This battle was not fought to
get freedom for the country, but it was still a fight against the rule of the British East India
company. In what is considered the first freedom struggle between 1757 and 1857, several battles
were fought in smaller places from where farmers and Adivasis fought and became martyrs.
Whether you want to consider all this as part of the freedom struggle is another matter. Because at
that time, there was no central rule or national rule. There were different nawabs. And different

16
kings. British were trying to get each and every kingdom and each and every king and nawab, on
their side.
By 1857 everything came under their control. They took charge of those few kingdoms
that were considered too. The reach of the East India company was steadily growing. At the same
time, the people’s love for the country, whether you want to call it nationalism, or a positive
ideology, was coming together like a closed fist and was marching ahead.
In 1857, a kind of nationalism that believes in taking everyone along takes shape and surges
ahead. In the procession that marched then, three slogans were chanted, ‘Foreigners leave the
country’, ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’. It is in this year, that the country throughout
the East India company.
The determination with which Bahadur Shah Zafar sacrificed for this country, Nana Saheb
too fought with the same determination. The determination with which Ajimullah Khan and
Begum Hazrat Mahal fought, with the same determination Tatya Tope and Rani Laxmi Bai fought
too. The determination with which the farmers fought in that battle, with the same determination,
the sons and daughters of the farmers who were part of the British army too revolted.
Collective consciousness gave birth to a fire and in that fire in 1857, the Britishers rule
ended. Generally, we know that India became independent in August 1947. But the country was
freed from British rule on May 14, 1857 too. Under the supervision of Bahadur Shah Zafar, from
14 May 1857 to 21 September 1857, a small council was made. That ran the government. After
that the Britishers attacked again to conquer the Red Fort.
In Delhi, in front of the Delhi gate, there is a bloody door. Bloody door is symbolic of the
day when on May 14, India was rid of the British rule. Bahadur Shah Zafar had a son and two
grandsons. First Bahadur Shah got arrested and jailed in Red Fort. The general of the British army
then was Hudson who arrested his son and the two grandsons, brought them to the same bloody
door and beheaded them. Britishers placed the heads of the son and the grandsons on a decorated
plate and presented it to Bahadur Shah Zafar. And stated that this is the award for your love for
the country. Zafar stated that if this is the award for my love for the country, then I accept it. For
the country I am willing to make even this sacrifice. It is on the strength of this sacrifice that the
country got its freedom.
In 1857 after that, a lot of repression happened. There was silence everywhere. In 1885,
the congress party was formed. A lot of people went from India to study in Britain. Those days a
different kind of nationalism was taking shape and that was causing a lot of stirring. Whether it
was the revolutionaries from Bengal or Yugantar Sabha or it was the congress party, they were all
affected by it. Mahatma Gandhi too arrived on the scene. Whether it was Bhagat Singh or Subhash
Chandra Bose, a lot of theories were floated during the freedom struggle. If you observe closely
you can see that there was a difference of opinion between Bhagat Singh and Mahatma Gandhi.

17
There was a difference of opinion between Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar too. There are
many such examples of revolutionaries who thought differently then.
There were two lines that were etched out in the country during the freedom struggle. On
one side of the line, stood those who were part of the freedom struggle and on the other side of the
freedom struggle stood the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak (RSS) and the Muslim League. What are the
roots of the ideas expressed by experts of today’s nationalism? What is its consideration in history?
This needs to be understood with a cool mind, otherwise we become deluded, using love for the
country as an excuse. In this country many people did become deluded and it can be understood
in the way today’s nationalism is being forwarded, giving the false impression that the country
will become strong. But I have already mentioned before that this is what negative nationalism is
all about. With this the country will only disintegrate.
Mahatma Gandhi entered the freedom struggle in 1905, when the movement spread across
the country. It becomes a people’s protest. From the big cities in the country to the people from
the villages, all joined the struggle. But in that fight the RSS does not join in. Not a single member
of the RSS sacrificed in the country’s freedom fight. It says today that it wants a Hindu nation.
Earlier the Muslim league with involved in the freedom struggle. After that, it too slowly started
demanding a Muslim nation. The flawed idea that a country becomes strong and problems resolved
only when there exists only one religion, one language, one dialect only gained ground at this time.
The unemployed were asked to stand by the idea of a Hindu nation, with promises that there will
be employment for all in a Hindu nation. Dalits were made to believe that if they support the idea
of a Hindu nation, then they will benefit and there will be no more atrocities against them,
It is very important to know that for the progress of any country, along with social justice,
economic justice too is very important. And if a political system is not formed taking these two in
consideration, then the system cannot sustain for a long time. This we can see very clearly even
today. Yet another path for a fresh freedom struggle has emerged and the need of the hour is to
come together despite our differences and have the courage to speak out openly, against the
atrocities in the country today. The protests are very much in accordance with our Constitution.
The Constitution brought together everyone, despite a lot of agreements and disagreements,
after many experienced a lot of pain and struggle during the freedom struggle. We want to now
create an India, where people can make their own decisions regarding themselves and for the
country. The country should not be under pressure from any force or influence from within, or the
rest of the world. The focus ahead is a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic. The
Constitution belongs to everyone. Is there complete freedom in this country? No, there is not. Has
this country been able to embrace socialism completely? No, it has not. Is this country truly secular
today? Not at all. Has this country become totally democratic? Not at all. The constitution
envisions the country to be a dominion, socialist and secular republic. This is what the constitution
tells about our country. This is what the character of our country will be. The Constitution

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enshrines the rights of its citizens to build its confidence too and grants all citizens economic
justice, freedom of expression, freedom to practice all religions and beliefs, worship, and rights
for fortune and equal opportunities. The only question which confronts citizens today is whether
they are anchored in positive nationalism or negative nationalism and to assess that they must
definitely enter intellectual debates.
Today we need to ask one question to all citizens, irrespective of which political party they
are from, what language they speak, which religion or faith they follow, or which part of society
they are from. After the country got its freedom, our ancestors entrusted their faith in the
constitution, and we need to ask ourselves, if we have similar faith in the constitution or not? If we
believe in it then we need to express our patriotism by standing by its principles. Those who
disregard the Constitution, will ultimately disintegrate the country and therefore cannot be a
patriot. Reflect on this.
Today there are a number of people who believe in positive nationalism, but they are silent.
And those who want to finish this country, are in attack mode. Those who are in the right are being
questioned and the ones asking the questions are those who through history have been the real
culprits. I feel that we need to take on this challenge head on with a positive approach.
There is only one way to fulfil the aims of the constitution and that is by accepting that all
sons and daughters born here are citizens. Only when we start thinking for them, will the country
progress. If the country’s economic policies do not become strong, then an individual’s financial
status can either become strong or weak today. But to assume that it will continue to stay strong
tomorrow is a folly. There are plenty of such examples in the world. When the country’s economic
policies went through a shake up, and a handful of people survived the shock. Eventually their
personal fortunes sank too. You must have learnt a few years ago that there was an economic
slowdown in the USA. In India, the economic slowdown was not so bad. What is the real danger?
When the world’s economic policies come to a standstill, circulation of the capital has stopped,
and then the economy becomes stagnant, then the country stops functioning too. Nobody can save
it then.
The problem today is that no doubt capital is circulating in all four corners, but for some
reason, it comes to a stop in the USA, then the USA has sufficient capital to bail itself out. It is
believed that the USA has invested in India. It must however be checked if the prime minister’s
travels abroad, where he never fails to carry his begging bowl around, are paid for by the Indians
or the Americans, because the investments are certainly not coming to India. In those rich countries
of the world, where the capital is simply being hoarded and is therefore rotting away because the
cash is not being circulated, and need to be convinced to invest in India, which is a very consumer
friendly country.
The worst danger that haunts the Indian economy is the plight of the unorganized labour in
the country, who are extremely poor and work in the minimum wage category. In this country, the

19
minimum wage workers are paid Rs 5500 in some places, Rs 6500 in some and Rs 7500 in some
others. Out of this too, they get paid only two-thirds of it, the rest is taken away as commission.
Today, they account for a very big section of the population and their purchasing power is falling
rapidly.
Today the Indian economic system is poised at such a juncture that if it is handled
competently, then it can become a world leader. just by virtue of its population, which constitutes
its sizable cheap labor. But for this the financial policies of America, Britain, France will not be a
fit for India. We will have to make our own policies and develop our own technology. Bright,
young minds from India are going abroad and creating technology for those countries. Can the
talent of these sons and daughters of India who are going to other countries to develop the
technology there, not be nurtured here and convinced to develop the technology here, according
to available resources and prevailing conditions here? They have the talent but the ruling class of
this country, they can belong to any political party, fears that the day the sons and daughters of
this country will produce the technology, that day the path to slavery will end. The earnings of
middlemen will end.
Do you see what is needed for production? Four things are needed – capital, technology,
raw material and the fourth is labor. In which area is the country weak? No information can be
sought under the Right to Information Act, especially on security matters today, foreigners have
been invited for a 100% share in the retail of the country, all under the pretext of enhancing the
strength of the country. What have they really done in the country? I feel that in the country an
overall economic progress policy needs to be developed and it is possible. With which the path to
production opens up. The path to exploring this country’s talent opens up. Employment
opportunities for lakhs and crores in this country opens up.
This country is an agrarian economy. If you minus out the farmers, then this country will
not survive. Whatever technology is developed, it should be inclusive of the agricultural sector.
Our industry should be set up in such a way that the farmers' children too are able to secure their
jobs in them. Once they find employment in their own home towns they will stop migrating. If
large scale migrations to the cities stop, then pollution in cities can be tackled and quality of life
will improve in the cities and the villages. With the help of a decentralized, self-dependent,
technology driven policy, we can rebuild our economy. We can then guarantee that the resultant
economy will generate enough purchasing power for the labourers and our food growing farmers,
who constitute almost ¾th of our entire population, that they have sufficient money to buy things
that they need. They work so hard and should have at least so much. If this happens, then there
will be such a quantum jump in the economy, that the most successful systems that are operating
in the world will not match up to the Indian development model.
How will this happen? I will try and explain it to you. In Delhi we decided to give minimum
wage labourers twice the wages, in comparison to what other states are giving. We increased the

20
wages from Rs 7000 Rs 14,000. A long struggle had ensued with the industrialists. Why did we
do this? We increased the wages because we think that this is the only way in which the farmers,
laborers, unemployed youth, will have enough money to make their minimum purchases, from the
market. If sales in the market goes up, then the businesses will grow too. When a businessman
sells more, then he will increase his stocks too. Where will these stocks come from? It will come
from the factories. Throughout the country, the goods that had been locked up in the factories
because of slow sales, are finally emptied out which will encourage him to set up another factory.
Therefore, it is not only the farmers and laborers who benefit, when their purchasing power
increases. Businesses grow too. Production increases and more jobs are created.
This is the only way to a collective, economic progress, in which every Indian is guaranteed
of a minimum economic strength. With this guarantee, the farmer, laborer and unemployed are
empowered and with it the collective strength of the country increases too.

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The Ideology Prevailing Today and the Aam
Aadmi Party
After the Jan Lokpal movement, since the Aam Aadmi Party came into being, a persistent question
asked from many platforms is, what is its ideology?
Many amongst us try to answer this by saying that ridding the country of corruption is
AAP’s ideology. Brotherhood amongst each and every human is our message. To establish Swaraj
in the country is AAP’s ideology. To end the rich and poor divide is AAP’s ideology. Everybody
in AAP has a different ideology. 100 people will try to elucidate AAP’s ideology in hundred
different ways. There is a reason for that. In the last 200 years of history, under some very
unexpected circumstances, a few ideologies took birth.
First it is important to understand what an ideology is. In different times, different societies,
and in different countries, cultural ideologies have been different. It is not as if since the origin of
the human being, there has been only one kind of ideology. So, what exactly is an ideology? This
needs to be understood first. Poised at a special period of time, examining all the incidents that
happened in the past, our understanding of it and the resultant point of view and the road to finding
a solution for the future, all this together constitutes an ideology.
The path for future solutions that we first imagine in our brains, is what shapes into an
ideology.
This is not the first time that there have been questions raised about an ideology. But today
it is very much the need of the hour. The last 200 years, which is also referred to as the modern
age, during which time the origin of science happened and technology progressed. Two broader
ideologies too took birth in this period. One of them is referred to as Capitalism and the other one
is referred to as Socialism. We also know them by other names. One is also called the Right-wing
ideology and the other one is called the Left-wing ideology. In all this there is another
identification. That of the nation, country and nationalism. Nationalism can be both of the right-
wing kind and of the left-wing kind. Nationalism can be that of America’s, as well as that of
Russia’s.
But today all these people who are questioning AAP’s ideology are ordinarily the kind who
believe in either the right wing or the left wing. For them it is very difficult to understand that
outside of these two rigid camps, a lot more can be thought of, understood and executed. That is
why the questions flow from their end. But I want to take you all a little in the past. When these
ideologies had still not come into existence, there still existed people, society and organizations.

22
The world existed and it was progressing ahead at its own pace. Today there is a political crisis
not just before us, but this crisis is before the whole world, and before the whole of humanity.
Capitalism progressed fast, with the world’s most powerful countries adopting it. But today
capitalism in these countries has become akin to imperialism. Imperialism means that they have
all the wealth of the world, but still the level of satisfaction is very low. Despite looting the natural
resources and human resources of poorer countries and wanting to grow stronger with that.
The other ideology experimented with was socialism. They found solutions to many issues
too. But the challenge before the world today, is that the existing ideologies fall short of addressing
all issues that are faced by them today. The Soviet Union/ Russian model of Socialism got
fragmented. At any given point in time, only one thing is very profitable to us. But assuming that
thing will always stay profitable for us, is a fallacy.
For example, when we were kids, and our parents bought us underpants and vests for the
first time, the tiny underpants and vest were very necessary for us and were very beautiful too. But
after we grow older, how much ever you love your mother, if she tries to offer the same set of
underpants and vest to you, two things will happen. Neither will you appreciate it, nor will society
like it. It will not fulfil your needs. The same is true for nations and ideologies. The kind of
problems our country, society and world are facing today, I say with responsibility that the
solutions to those problems, lie neither with socialism or with capitalism. We have to find a new
path, according to present requirements. And the same challenge exists for the thinkers of the
country and for the rest of the world. And that challenge has been accepted by none other than the
Aam Aadmi Party.
At an ordinary level, many people think the thought is formed first and then we experience
it in behavior later. This is actually true but is only half the truth. Thought is formed by behavior.
By watching the happenings around you, by analyzing them, one day the individual’s brain strings
them into an idea. The individual therefore learns from experience.
Newton gave us a theory and a thought process. Newton’s thought process did not take
birth in his brain. Gravitational theory, which we all know was not born in his brain. He witnessed
it in its behavior. Whatever he saw, he kept analyzing and concluding that this is like this, this is
the reason for it and out of it was born the theory. Today America is the richest country of them
all, with the maximum capital. Yet there is an economic slowdown there too. What crossroads of
history are we standing at? The country which has maximum wealth is going through a challenging
phase. And the other model that took shape, that of socialism, could not withstand the challenges
and got fragmented. That is the reason why we are all sitting and waiting. But we are all products
of the agitation. And during this agitation, every time while bumping into new things, we are also
poised at the edge of a new age of evolution.
Aam Aadmi Party does not have a readymade ideology.

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Aam Aadmi Party is learning from the world and its own country’s experiences and trying
to forge its own new path.
It is forging towards one new principle and a framework, with its experience, agitation and
struggle and striking against the existing establishment and moving towards heralding a new
principle. It is still learning and creating a new framework and looking to birth a new ideology, for
which it is constantly striving.
The second thing that I want to arrive at is establishment. There is a system in the family
which we live in. Another system is of my society, state and that of the country. But these are all
very small. This whole system is the result of the establishment that is working in the whole world.
What can we say? Today it is not us but they who will decide this. No historian can tell us the
specific date, when the country was in bondage. When in bondage, we used to speak in pride in
Hindi, Punjabi, Gujrati, Telugu, Oriya and other languages. We used to talk in our own language.
And then when we became independent, then speaking in our language became a matter of
shame. You must have experienced it that when we are trying to speak something and we need to
give it some emphasis, then we add three words of English to it. As a result of the mental slavery
that has taken root inside us, we feel that if we speak a few words of English, then it will make a
better impression on the other person.
Today even 10% of us cannot count in ones, tens, hundreds, or thousands, in a pure form.
This is not our fault. This is not something we chose. Since when did we start counting in one,
two, three? When did our parents start teaching us? This we do not know. But this is a tragedy that
when the country was enslaved, our speech was free, our language was free. When this country
became free, our speech became enslaved, our language became enslaved and so did our brain.
I want to say it with certainty that when this country was enslaved, our brain was free. And
now when our country is free, our brains are becoming increasingly enslaved. We were not able
to think in an independent manner.
It was discussed now that there are three power centers in the country, three establishments.
One establishment is the “World Bank”. The name of the other establishment is
International Monetary Fund (IMF). And the third system is what we call GATE, General
Agreement on Trade and Tariff. Today also farmers in India are committing suicide. There are two
reasons for committing suicide. There is an agreement of developed countries, to which India is a
signatory, according to which a developed country can give subsidies up to 26% to buy seeds,
fertilizer, medicine, water, and electricity to its farmers. But poor and developing countries are
giving only 10% of the subsidies. Today India does not decide on the agreements. Only the USA
and institutions related to it decide this. Thousands of small industries and factories operate in this
country. And during the economic slowdown in the USA, India was saved, because of the

24
generation of this small capital. The second reason I told you about is the special Economic Zone.
And the third is the Goods and Services Taxes (GST).
This GST is not designed by the government for the people. This GST which is being
implemented, one nation, one tax is an international agenda. It is International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and World Bank (WB) agenda. It wants to control the world’s markets. And whatever comes
in its way, they make a lot of noise about it, to clear their path.
Many historians accept this, and this is the truth too. To give you an example. If you are
asked a simple question, who brought the rail to India? British brought it. What did they bring it
for? The goods train did come, but for what? For the convenience of Indians? For the progress of
the country’s economy? No. Before the industrial revolution happened in India, it happened in the
rest of the world. Before this happened, there was complete darkness in Europe. It was during this
period, even before the Britishers came that there was so much technological advancement in the
country. You must have heard the name of Dhaka. Today it is Bangladesh’s capital. In Dhaka,
mulmul (muslin) cloth used to be made. Technology made it possible to make it so thin, that a bale
of this cloth could easily fit into a match box. Can you imagine how advanced our technology
would have been then. The British rule came to India and then a lot of things disappeared from the
country. But they were not able to replicate Dhaka’s mulmul cloth. Britishers had cut off the fingers
of those mulmul cloth makers/weavers.
Our production and industries did not stop just like that. It was destroyed by the British one
by one. And then when our industries and factories died, after England’s revolution, they would
take the cotton from here to make the cloth there and then bring the ready fabric here. Now to sell
that they needed means for transport. The goods trains came for this. Today GST has come to
destroy the economy of the country. GST has not come to improve the country’s economy, there
is an international mafia which wants to ease its way in the economy this way.
India of the 90’s was different and after the 90’s, India was even more different. After the
90’s the international pressure and their control on India’s natural resources increased rapidly.
Today the way we sell bottled water, the same way rivers were being sold. Several rivers were
sold. Friends, nature has given this country many things. Very few countries have the amount of
fertile land that we have. Very few countries in the world have as many rivers as flows in our
country. And the amount of manpower that the country has, very few countries have it. We are
blessed with so much intelligence that even today there is an Indian instrumental in powering the
world and driving its economies. Without an Indian brain, the international economies cannot
function. It is quite possible that he/she left the country 10 years back, or 100 years back, and is
doing pathbreaking work elsewhere.
Today, 90% of the system that is in place in this country, is the same as the Britishers
established it, to be able to rule in this country. Though the country became independent in 1947,
nothing changed since then. In my experience as the convenor of Delhi government, I would like

25
to say this that the network of bureaucracy that was created by the British was not for the benefit
of citizens. Today also if you mention the work of Aam Aadmi, for the benefit of the citizens, I
experience that the temperatures of the bureaucrats shoot up to 104 degrees! They just do not want
to do the work for the citizens. There are a handful of them who are good and honest and love the
country and the citizens. In this system, the officers who work for the citizens are considered
outcasts. The one who troubles the citizens the most is the representative of this system. The one
who makes the file move the most is considered a very smart officer. This is not because of a
distorted mindset, or even personality flaw, but a limitation in the system. Whether it is our
administration, in the executive, or it is our justice system.
This country’s justice system is its supreme court. Not just the common man, if we need
justice and it reaches a point, where we need to file a case with the supreme court, it is an
impossibility for 90% of the folks. We cannot get justice. We cannot even reach there. So, to
change the existing system is a challenge before us. During the freedom struggle, people had this
hope that we will bring in a new system. To change one system and replace it with a new system,
is what revolution is all about. For this revolution, the freedom struggle was on. In 1947, handing
over of powers happened under very special circumstances. The country became free of the British
political system, but the country did not become independent of its economic and their
administrative system. As a result, we are still bearing the burden of it. If you want to bring in a
new system, then there is no option of bringing it, without first changing the existing one.
If a new system is not formed, then we cannot see the results that we desire, even if you
stay in power for five years or 25 years. Today we are faced with a new kind of danger. What was
our focus, when we undertook a new kind of revolution that took place before the birth of the Aam
Aadmi Party? We focused on removing corruption, as our main aim. But for that to happen, the
system will have to be changed. And the name of that new system is Jan Lokpal. They do not want
our government to function in Delhi. But the government is still functioning in Delhi. But they do
not want to change this system at any expense. That is why within six months of forming the
government, we passed the Jan Lokpal law, with the help of all of our 67 MLA’s in a house of 70
MLA’s, something which had never been done before with such a huge majority. But despite the
law being passed in the Vidhan Sabha, the central government is sitting on it. And in my
understanding, they will keep sitting on it. Under no circumstances will it let the bill pass, because
if the Jan Lokpal bill is passed, Delhi will become corruption free. And if Delhi becomes corruption
free then nothing can come in the way of making the country corruption free.
That is why they do not want this system to change. The second system is the legislative
system,
In this system, the elected representatives for five years, do their own thing. Vote is ours
and the money is ours too. But the rule will be theirs. This is the flawed model we created in the

26
past, which we now have to improve on and the majority decided on the swaraj model which is
inspired by the gram Sabha and the Mohalla Sabha.
Eight months after the government was formed in Delhi, within a year we made the swaraj
budget in 11 constituencies, and in 11 constituencies made the Mohalla Sabha. Proposals were
invited from the people. We started work on it. The response for it was very good. Then we created
a model for the entire Delhi, under swaraj. Mohalla sabhas were created in Delhi. They realized
now that there is danger. If these people create Mohalla sabhas here and give the power to the
people, and people get a taste of their power, then this virus will spread throughout the country.
Then how will their interests run? As a result, they put the swaraj bill in cold storage.
In Delhi it is our government in power and I want to tell you all this with full responsibility.
It is our commitment to improve people’s lives and the life of the common man. We are fighting
and will keep on fighting. We will fight and get the work done. Cutting the electricity bill in half,
giving water for free, improving government schools, making Mohalla clinics, increasing
pensions, all this work is being done. Whatever commitments we have made, we will definitely
fulfil it. But more than anything, if we are not able to pass the Jan Lokpal bill or the Swaraj bill,
then our fight will be incomplete. Because without a new system, this will not be stable. It is not
our intention that only if we stay in power, then only will the work be good. It is our intention that
today we are in power, tomorrow we may not be. But we create a system where good work
becomes mandatory.
It is with this intention that the Aam Aadmi Party came to politics. Now within the system,
when we ordinarily talk about the arrangement, we are also facing a new kind of danger. Many
people have indicated this and many people have asked us what our economic policy is.
There has been an economic model in this country, that of the capitalist system. In this
model, capital is supreme, and labour and society is negligible. The second model that came up
was the socialist model, which was against the capitalist model.
It is the Aam Aadmi Party’s belief that a new kind of system is needed. For progress, both
money and labour is needed. We need such a system, where capital is as respected and made
responsible as much as labour is. Without the two, a new creation is not possible. Wherever you
take your technology, capital cannot take the place of labour, and labour cannot take the place of
capital. That is why I want to give two examples to explain. When we increased the minimum
wages, a lot of shop owners, many factory owners came to us and we had dialogues with most of
them in Delhi. The ones who opposed it, were of the belief that with an increase in wages, the
industry will collapse. Business will collapse. Doubts were raised about who will work? We knew
that in the short term, there might be some glitches. But considering at what point our country is
standing, there is only one way out. The market economy has to be developed and for that buying
and selling, both are mandatory. Without buying and selling, the market economy cannot progress.
And that is why when we say that labourers wages should increase and there should be an increase

27
in farmers crop prices, behind it there is a well thought of economic strategy. We are not acting on
this without thinking.
If the country has to be made an economic superpower, then India’s market strength needs
to be further strengthened. Who really constitutes the country’s 90 percent population? It is
farmers, and labourers. What constitutes the market? The buyer. Only where there is a lot of
buying, there is a lot of shop keeping. If the labourer does not have buying power, then will he go
to the shop to buy? If the farmer will not have buying powers, then his child will keep crying, and
the farmer will not be able to comfort it even with a chocolate. 90% of the population amounts to
120 crore individuals.
An estimated 100 crores labourers and farmers live in this country and their buying power
increases, then where will they go to buy the goods? They will go to the market. And if he goes to
the market to buy the goods, especially in India when EID, Diwali, and Holi happen, then our
businessmen become busy.
Why does he become busy? A businessman waits for EID, Diwali, Holi to come. It is
because during festivals, people take their entire year's savings to the market. If the poor will have
money to spend during all 12 months, then they will like it too. It is not as if they like to wear the
same vest for the next three years. They don’t like it. But that is their financial status. If their
income is increased, then sales in the market will go up too. If sales in the market increases, then
the country’s shopkeepers and the businessman will become financially strong. And if the sales in
the market increases, a businessman will not get his supply from his house. Where will the goods
come from then? It will come from the industry. The vest will not be produced by the farmer.
Whatever it is it will be produced in the factory only. When demand increases production in the
factory will increase. And when the production happens, then the industry will become strong. Our
capital will become strong. But the biggest thing here is that if demand increases, then purchasing
power increases, then selling increases. If selling increases, then business will become strong. If
business becomes strong then the industry becomes strong. And when industry becomes strong,
then employment increases. Right now, the country’s youth are roaming around unemployed, and
the only way to decrease unemployment is to increase the buying power of labourers and farmers.
Employment will be generated and youth will be happy. Where the youth is strong, the country is
strong. This is called balance theory. We all need to bring balance in our lives as well as in
economics.
For India to become a superpower, this is the way. If the buying power is increased then,
our population which has become a curse today, can actually turn into a boon for the country. The
country can become a superpower. It can become an economic giant. The last thing that I want to
tell you is that wherever we choose to stand, it needs to become a place, from where the system
can be changed. That should be our aim. Through revolution, we need to change the existing
system into a brand-new system. To create a new system, there was a revolution in the country

28
earlier too. After independence, for a long time, some people in this country, tried propagating
false nationalism, like it is happening now.
But then a revolution happened against corruption, at Jantar Mantar, at Ramlila Maidan,
from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from Kutch to Manipur, together throughout India. With a flag in
the hand, chanting the Bharat Mata Ki Jai slogan, with a dream that the country will change. And
on the strength of this was born the Aam Aadmi Party. Aam Aadmi Party is not the dream of
Delhites. Aam Aadmi Party is the dream of this country. It is not the dream of this country alone,
the sons and daughters of the thousands of Indians, who despite having the talent, were kicked out
of this country and are leading lives elsewhere in the world, it is their dream too that their
motherland will create such a system one day, that Indian sons and daughters will not have to go
outside the country to establish their talent. They will get an opportunity to establish their talent in
this country only. In the world, India will set up a new standard with renewed energy.
We are all children of that dream. This is nature’s law that every circle has a centre. In the
same way every new thought process and every new protest has a centre point. The centre point of
this new thought in the world is New Delhi. If we do good, it makes a difference in the world. Aam
Aadmi Party has a fan following from all over the world. But our responsibility extends a little
more.
That is why the goal that we are moving towards, has a big barrier before it. There are two
mountains which stop the revolution from happening in this country. One mountain is the Congress
Party and the other is the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Jan Andolan uprooted one of the mountains and threw it away. Narendra Modi lives with
this ego, that the country will stand beside him. This is true, but half the truth. This country is not
standing with him. The country is standing against the mountain of the loot mechanisms that exist
in the country. It is standing against the congress. And is uprooting this congress and throwing it
away. He is under the illusion that the country is standing by him only. This country is waiting.
Waiting after the false promise of Rs 15 lakh. waiting despite losing lives on the road after
demonetization. Waiting despite being slapped with GST. Just waiting for that moment when there
will be a birth of that energy which will uproot the power too. The country is waiting for that day.
Today the country does not believe that the Aam Aadmi Party can uproot these mountains and
throw it away. It is just waiting for that moment when AAP can make them believe that they can
uproot the BJP mountain and throw it away too. Because the country does not like anarchy.
Country does not want to uproot congress, throw it away and then uproot BJP and throw it away
only to create a void. The country does not want this. The country is waiting for a capable and
successful alternative.
I want to explain this with an example. In the country, Narendra Modi’s government was formed
in the centre with a huge majority. There were elections in Haryana and they formed a government
there too. They made a government in Maharashtra and Jharkhand too. In fact, they even managed

29
to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir together. They felt that none could halt their
Ashvamedha victory run. But AAP’s stormy victory in Delhi came, despite there being a Modi
wave then.
Delhi reposed faith in the 49-day old government, calling that person who headed it a “fugitive”
who defeated the very same person who was sitting in power in the centre comfortably. Media too
kept saying he is a fugitive. Even the congress people said the same thing. BJP kept saying the
same thing that he is a fugitive. But Delhites insisted he is not a fugitive. He is the only one who
is a hammer for the dishonest. There was trust in the Aam Aadmi Party and that is why the
opposition was reduced to just three seats out of 70.
What happened in Delhi, will happen in the country too. Just trust this. Congress will go to zero.
BJP may or may not remain on top. The country only wants to know when the Aam Aadmi Party
is strong enough to uproot it.
You may not know this but there are people in this country who are not able to shed tears, even
when their near and dear ones die. But these people cry when they get any negative information
about Aam Aadmi Party. People go to temples, masjids and gurudwaras and pray that this hope
does not die down ever.
But there are two things that need to be done for us to become capable, to shake up the
opponent. The first is that our organizational capacity and our thought process becomes strong.
The fight that lies ahead now is a long fight. We have crossed one leg of the shorter race. Now is
the long race. You all have to get ready for the long race. For that if the brain does not stay strong,
then it will be difficult to hold the heart together. Now people are connected to us with their heart.
That is why the littlest setback hurts them. That is why it is important to know what is the world’s
strength? How does the world operate? What is the system in India? How does it operate? And
should the new system be like? All these things will have to be thought over and understood.
One thing that needs to be understood and people also need to be made to understand is
that a pretense of nationalism is being created. Many masks have been worn so far.
Manmohan Singh converted 25% of the country into slaves. He sold our natural resources
and human resources. Sold it for pennies. Sold it in the name of progress. BJP and Narendra Modi
have only created hate. But this is still a small matter. British had applied their entire strength in
the partition of India and Pakistan to ensure that only Hindus lived in India and only Muslims lived
in Pakistan. Only the British whistle used to blow then. And still even they did not manage to send
all Muslims from India to Pakistan. This is reflected in India’s overall picture. 100 different
organizations like the BJP and RSS can get together and still they will not be able to destroy our
soul. For this it is important to stay alert. But do not worry about this. The thing to worry about is
that in the name of nationalism, in the name of the country, they want to turn 100% of the country
into slaves. They are going to sell everything. The reason they talk about nationalism is that we

30
have a mindset that if Hindu says something to another Hindu there won’t be riots. Similarly, if a
Muslim says something to a Muslim, there won’t be any riots. But if a Muslim says the slightest
thing to a Hindu, or a Hindu says the slightest thing to a Muslim, then it blows up into a riot. That
is why when congress used to do it, there used to be a loud noise. Now they are mortgaging the
nation, by chanting nation, nation. This is their patriotism. Today if any of the countless patriots
in the country are called a traitor, understand that your patriotism is alive. In today’s times, there
will be an additional trial against every patriot, by leveling sedition charges, if they dared
challenging the government. By leveling sedition charges against Bhagat Singh, Rajguru,
Sukhdev, their patriotism did not lessen in any way.
But this thing that needs to be understood is that their nationalism is negative nationalism.
Negative nationalism breaks the country, one day soon enough.
The fragmentation of India was the result of negative nationalism. The foundation for this
was laid by the British in 1905, when they laid the plans for Bengal’s division. In 1857, the war
for Independence had broken out against the British. In 1857, when the Britishers were uprooted
and thrown out, Macaulay came to this country. Studied this country thoroughly. He went back
and gave this report that till the Hindus and Muslims are not divided, it would be impossible to
rule the country in the future. Then the British divided Bengal, into Hindu Bengal and Muslim
Bengal which we call bung-bhang. Calcutta was the capital in 1905. Britishers had to leave it to
run away to Delhi. The Swadeshi movement started. Lal, Bal and Pal, supervised the Swadeshi
and Swaraj protests. After coming to Delhi, the British made a cantonment. They then applied their
brains and created two organizations. One was the Muslim League and the other one was the Hindu
Mahasabha. These organizations made in 1906, were funded by the British.
Hindu Mahasabha later became the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS). The Muslim
league and the RSS were both nurtured by the British. With the money from the British, all they
did was to spread poison in the names of the Hindu and the Muslim.
It was the result of this that Bengal was divided in 1905 and an entire, separate state formed.
But when in 1947, the country was divided again, there was no one left to protest. The communal
division was complete.
The way we are being led on the path of negative nationalism again, one day it will result
in yet another division. If we want to save the country from further division and slavery, then there
is only one-way, positive nationalism. It is not just one’s desire alone, which creates love and
surrender for the country. If all of the society’s powers are not assimilated and held together, then
we cannot help save this country. Neither can we stop it from becoming a slave.
That is why we don’t have to oppose the BJP like an opposition, neither do we need to
oppose the congress as an opposition. We have to wipe out the thought process of these fake
nationalists from people’s brains. It is for this that we have gathered today. The way the British

31
through the Muslim League and the Hindu Mahasabha tried to wreck our togetherness, there is a
well thought of strategy between the Imperialist countries Israel and America, in today’s times too,
to make this country a slave, and put thoughts of negative nationalism in the minds of every child.
And this menace cannot be tackled by roadside protests. We too will need to put up a force guided
by the same thought process. We will have to create an ideological team, which can with a cool
mind, in an organized manner, place the truth before the people. Any lie repeated by the people
100 times, is believed to be the truth. There is hard work required, but we love the country, we
have a responsibility and we have surrendered to it, we have no shortcut now. For creating a new
country, we will have to change people’s thoughts. The poison that is being injected in them will
have to be cleaned. We have to change the prevailing thought pattern. Otherwise they will deplete
their energies in smaller things. They will be diverted. The nation’s energy came about from these
agitations. Using that energy to make it work for the nation, is the responsibility on our shoulders
now. We have to take the responsibility from here.
And we have the faith that we will create an entirely new order, in an organized manner,
in a scientific manner with a cool head. The thought process of even a booth level worker should
be very sharp. There should be no confusion in the thoughts irrespective of whether he gives one
hour of his time, or 24 hours of his time. There can be a shortage of time. There can be a shortage
of money too. But there should be a tremendous strength in the ideology. And this strength should
be built up in Delhi first. The strength of the organization is based on this ideology. First build a
strong organization in Delhi, and then replicate this model all over the country. And when this
force gathers momentum, the entire country will change.

32
The Importance of Mahatma Gandhi’s
Thoughts Today
Today we are discussing the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts in the prevailing
circumstances.
Ordinarily, when Mahatma Gandhi is mentioned, then two separate images come to mind.
First is the image of an able leader who struggles to get freedom from slavery for this country.
In the second instance, he can be seen as that individual, who from the past to the present, passed
on values, learnt from the positive aspects of human culture, human values were developed and
experimented on, whilst fighting and struggling in his personal life too.
Mahatma Gandhi was also trying to establish a religion, a way of life that put truth and
nonviolence, ahead of everything else. A religion in which there are no differences between one
human and another. That religion which inspires people to bond on the basis of love only. So,
whenever you see Mahatma Gandhi, you will find him struggling with his experiments with truth,
and also involved in the freedom struggle. So, Mahatma Gandhi struggle within himself and
struggled outside too.
Rarely do we find being’s in world history, who were involved in their spiritual growth as
well as forwarding the outside social struggle. I keep telling all the time whenever you assess an
individual , whichever thought process you choose, time, place and circumstances need to be kept
in mind too. This is because an individual’s thought processes emerge from time, place and
circumstances and if you try to isolate them and view events separately, then you will end up
moving from meaning to meaninglessness.
For example, when you go to any doctor for treatment in North India, on every visit, the
doctor would advise not to eat rice. But a doctor in Kerala would not advise the same thing. This
is because in Kerala, whatever they eat from morning to night is made up of rice. That does not
mean those people are sick always and the roti (wheat flatbread) eaters in north India are healthy
always. But the air and water there and the circumstances prevailing there has created their system.
Both are in India. Punjab is in India, so is Kerala, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. Things therefore take
shape and progress, according to different times, places and circumstances and that becomes its
truth too. That is why I keep insisting that while assessing a person, without taking these factors
into consideration, you will be totally off track, if you decide just on the basis of what you hear
and listen to.
What is the biggest challenge before the country today?
The challenge and the question presented before today’s India is whether the country is
really strong? The country can only become strong when every son and daughter born in India are
tied together in unity. No country can be strong without it. The question asked today is whether a
Punjabi speaking individual and a Malayali can be one? Or can a Bengali and Gujarati speaking

33
people be one. Can Telugu and Kannada speaking individuals be one. And can a Marathi speaking
person be one with an Oriya speaking individual. This is true that in India, several languages are
spoken. Many questions today whether the country can be united despite so many religious
differences. There are Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. But these are only surface level
things that you see. Amongst Muslims, there are Shias, Sunnis, Barelwis, Devbandis and Wahabis.
Hindus are further divided into brahmins, backward class and Dalits. Amongst the dalits too, there
are Jatwas, Valmiki, amongst the backward there are Kurmis, Yadav’s, amongst the savarnas, the
Thakurs, and Brahmins are infighting. Can the country then come together and become one,
despite these differences
Can the country unite as one, despite diversities of religion, caste, region, language? This
country is showing the way for this unity. In present times, the question to be asked is also if the
Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party unite the country, on the
strength of brute power?
Mahatma Gandhi said that on the basis of love, by keeping everyone’s freedom, and dignity
and respect intact, the country can be united as one. Mahatma Gandhi not just said it, but proved
it too. In 1885, the Indian National Congress was formed and it held a session every year. But only
a few people from this country, especially lawyers, journalists and a few professors gathered in
those sessions. During Mahatma Gandhi’s exposure in the freedom struggle, he said that until and
unless those, to whom this country belongs to, do not stand up to fight, till then this country cannot
become free. Mahatma Gandhi had said that the farmers, the labourers will have to join the fight.
And if you remember seeing that picture of Mahatma Gandhi returning from South Africa, then
the first thing he does is to travel throughout the country by train. He tries to understand if despite
this diversity, is there a possibility to unite. And this is the truth as revealed in the pages of history,
that despite so much diversity, to shape the freedom struggle from people’s protest, he started a
chavanni (25 paise) membership drive. Those who gave this, became members of the congress
and became participants in the freedom struggle.
The agitations around the freedom struggle were limited to some sections of society only.
Whether it was an agitation led by the Congress or it was amongst the revolutionaries of West
Bengal, or agitations at Yuvantar Sabha, agitations by several smaller sections of revolutionaries,
or whether it was an agitation led by the ghadar party.
All those agitations which were going on during the freedom struggle were being carried
out by smaller groups of revolutionaries. The person who converted it to an All India struggle, a
national movement and inspired people to sacrifice for the country, is Mahatma Gandhi.
Today there are attempts to lead the country in a certain direction, as if the country can be united
only by brute power. When you rely only on this power to unite, that’s when fragmentation
happens.
When you try to unite people on the basis of hate, then the country cannot progress. When
you try to unite on the basis of love, then it is possible to progress.
The only solution to the difficulties that the country is passing through today is that despite the
diversity, the honor and the autonomy, the only way to unite this country is by connecting hearts.

34
In the same way that we had strengthened yesterday's fight for freedom, we can do it again today
to reconstruct a new India.
We must remember that the day Gandhiji was born, from that day itself, these things were
not on his mind. When Gandhi went to work in South Africa, that time too these things were not
on his mind. It is only due to the prevailing circumstances then that these things take shape in his
mind. The same thing happens in all of us too. We all have our thought processes. And then we
learn at every step.
What we become today, will become small tomorrow. We enhance our knowledge with
our experiences. Gandhi did not become a satyagrahi at birth. He learnt it the hard way too.
What did Gandhi really say through the satyagraha movement ? Gandhi says that there is nothing
more powerful than will power. There are a couple of different kinds of strengths, economic
strength, physical strength and will power. Gandhi says that if your willpower is strong, then you
can even fight the battle alone. You may have the money for it or not. If you have it, it can be
stolen. Yesterday you were rich, today you can be flat broke. Today you have the physical strength,
tomorrow you may not have it.
But you had the willpower yesterday. You have it today too and you will have it tomorrow
too. Willpower is present in a child’s mind, it is there in a young adult’s mind too and if you have
reached old age, and you are on your last breath, even then your will power works for you.
Gandhi underlines this point very strongly that willpower is much stronger than economic
strength, physical strength. Why does Gandhi even try to awaken the willpower ?
Your understanding of history and society will not be correct, if you do not factor in the time period
when the events occurred. In 1757, when the battle of Plassey started, and by the time 1857 came,
the soldiers of this country, the farmers of this country, the kingdoms in the country, gave a spirited
fight and fought the British face to face.
In 1857, the entire country fought on the strength of its willpower alone, while the British
fought on the strength of its arms and weapons. The Indian soldiers who till then took orders from
the British, stood up for the revolution. Whether it was Mangal Pandey’s rebellion, or whether it
was Meerut’s rebellion, in the entire mutiny, the Indian soldiers who made up the army that the
Britishers had created, revolted against the British. There was a strong rebellion and the Britishers
lost.
But after that the Britishers gathered the soldiers together from all directions, to hunt down
the revolutionaries. Lakhs of them were killed, after they were subjected to violence and then their
corpses were hung on the trees. Several villages were wiped out, after that 1857, people were so
terrorized that there was not a squeak from them.
The Britishers wrecked our willpower completely. We had the weapons earlier. The traditional
weapons that used to be there in most households, like swords, maces for which there was no
license. In 1857, the Britishers gave guns and other such weapons to the Indians recruited as
soldiers for their army.
After this incident, they started the licensing system and insisted soldiers could no longer
keep weapons with themselves.

POSITIVE NATIONALISM - The foundation of India’s future

POSITIVE NATIONALISM - The foundation of India’s future

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