Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Wednesday said that the recent Lok Sabha election results point to the fact that India is not a 'Hindu Rashtra'. The notable economist also expressed displeasure over the "continuation" of putting people behind bars "without trial" even under the new dispensation.
"That India is not a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ only has been reflected in the election results," Sen told a Bengali news channel at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata on Wednesday, as per a PTI report.
"We always hope to see a change after every election. Some of what happened earlier (during the BJP-led central government) like putting people behind bars without trial, and widening the gap between the rich and poor, are still continuing. That must stop,” he said.
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He also stressed the need to be politically open-minded, especially when India is a secular country with a secular Constitution.
“I do not think the idea of turning India into a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is appropriate,” he said.
He also opined that the new cabinet is “a copy of the earlier one”.
“The ministers continue to hold similar portfolios. Despite a slight reshuffle, the politically powerful are still powerful,” he said.
The 90-year-old economist recalled that during his childhood when India was under the rule of Britishers, people were jailed without any trial.
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“When I was young, many of my uncles and cousins were put in jail without trial. We had hoped that India would be free from this. Congress is also to blame for the fact that this did not stop. They didn't change it... But, this is more in practice under the present government,” the Nobel laureate said.
Speaking on the BJP losing Faizabad Lok Sabha seat despite building Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Sen said that attempts were made to overshadow India's true identity.