The Need For Democratic Tolerance

In the backdrop of growing and aggravating Institutionalised intolerance, there is urgent need to cultivate Democratic Tolerance at all levels and domains. This is particularly required to be cultivated at the family level in each community and society at large.

As a Human Rights Activist I feel this has to be cultivated as a cultural trait to resist the Institutionalised Intolerance which is perpetuated through Cultural Hegemony.

Nurturing and cultivating Democratic tolerance among the families will facilitate  healthier Man-woman relationship and help to prevent the Honour killings and  the so-called Love-Jihad.

The foundation of Democratic Tolerance is respecting the differences and honouring the diversities in the society; particularly the Caste and Religious differences and diversities.

Whereas Institutionalised intolerance widen the differences and cultivate them as  irreconcilable and antagonistic  virtues and thus divide the people to serve the narrow objectives of the vested interests.

It is in this context, the Human Rights Organisations need to expose the designs of the Institutionalised Intolerance spread through various means by the Ruling Clique in the name of Hindu Rashtra and forceful homogenisation of the society.

Strengthening PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY instead of REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY should be yet another objective of the Human Rights Organisations, instead of simply piloting about “ free and fair elections”.

Ensuring the Right to Livelihood ought to be very important concerns of the Human Rights Organisations.

The deprivation of the Constitutionally guaranteed ‘Right to Livelihood’ of the rural populace in the name of development is being decimated by the State . Similarly, the livelihood of the  vast tribal population is being destroyed owing to the indiscriminate mining and thus looting the valuable minerals of the country and silencing the resistance of the tribal people in the name of crushing the Naxalite menace, resulting in the killing of hundreds of tribals in “ Encounters” In the Central India, which are being buried silently without any investigation either by the State or by the Human Rights groups!

NOTE: The above Note is presented  in the Tamil Nadu State Conference of PUCL, in November 2024, for a wider discussion and appropriate Resolution.

Pon.Chandran, Member PUCL,, Coimbatore.