India's democratic ethos rooted in dialogue dissent and deliberation Sahasrabuddhe

New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) India’s democratic ethos draw from millennia old civilizational values rooted in dialogue, dissent and deliberation, former ICCR chairman Vinay Sahasrabuddhe on Thursday said.
     Delivering a key note address at a symposium in the Delhi Assembly, the former chairman of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) said the Indian legislators exhibited remarkable political maturity and ethical clarity, laying a robust foundation for the parliamentary traditions of independent India.
     Sahasrabuddhe emphasised that India’s democratic ethos far predates colonial constructs, drawing instead from millennia old civilizational values rooted in dialogue, dissent and deliberation.
     Reflecting on the contributions of stalwarts such as Vithalbhai Patel and Bhagat Singh, he called for renewed focus on institutional accountability and modernization while lauding the Delhi Assembly's role in fostering civic awareness among youth.
     Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) president Ram Bahadur Rai and Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta also addressed the symposium titled “Pre-Independence Parliamentary Systems (1911–1946) in India and the Role of Indian Members in our Freedom Movement”.
     Rai said that revisiting the foundational moments of the nation's parliamentary history enriches its democratic imagination and honours the memory of lesser-known legislative pioneers.
     Rai paid tribute to Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on the occasion, highlighting his delivery of over 200 speeches between 1924 and 1930 in the Central Legislative Assembly.
     His most historic intervention, a five-hour address on February 6, 1919 against the Rowlatt Act, earned high praise from Mahatma Gandhi and remains an enduring symbol of principled resistance, he said.
     Gupta on his part underscored an "urgent need" to reconnect with India’s constitutional heritage and draw inspiration from the foresight of its early legislators.
     He asserted the symposium is the beginning of a sustained academic initiative, aimed at building a rich institutional archive that preserves and promotes India’s pre-independence legislative legacy.
     Delhi University professor Neerja Singh presented her paper "Vithalbhai Patel: Role of Nationalist Leaders within the Imperial Legislative Council" at the event.
     Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht said that understanding the contributions of nationalist leaders under the colonial legislative structure is essential to appreciating the constitutional and democratic values that shaped India’s freedom movement.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)