First of all, I want to extend my greetings, congratulations all of you on this very important day called the Vijay Diwas. On this Day in 1971 we added a very glorious chapter to our history.

I am extremely happy to be here today at the National Seminar on “Role of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Promoting Social Justice in India” organized by the Centre for Social Welfare Administration and Administration of Justice of the Indian Institute of the Public Administration (IIPA). I am thankful to Shri T.N. Chaturvediji for his gracious invitation to me to inaugurate the National Seminar on a theme very dear to Babuji.  Needless to mention that the subject is equally close to my heart.

The IIPA has been a premier institution being at the forefront of focused discussions, analyses and research into various aspects of public policy and administration in the country. Its activities are not limited to conducting academic research but also to conduct training programmes for various government functionaries on a wide range of crucial issues in public policy and governance.  I understand that the Centre for Social Welfare Administration and Administration of Justice has been focusing primarily on social welfare issues and highlighting their relevance on the process of governance.  The very idea of administration, over the years, has undergone a paradigm shift.  Today, the administration has assumed the role of a facilitator rather than a regulator.

The theme of the Seminar – “Role of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Promoting Social Justice in India” – reminds all of us about the passionate and profound commitment and a lifetime dedication of Babuji to promoting social justice in Indian society and to the well-being of the distressed and the dispossessed who have been the victims of social discrimination and oppression for centuries. 

It is a sad fact that for a long time, Indian society had treated the socially and economically deprived masses in a very inhuman manner.  It had rendered them too feeble and psychologically crippled to even imagine the idea of protesting against the inequalities in our society.   During his lifetime, Babuji fought against many abhorrent practices.  He was made of sterner stuff and from his early childhood and was determined not to tolerate any injustice against him as also those mired in poverty and penury.  As his life unfolded and he felt the trauma of his circumstances, he took upon himself the challenging task of crusading against social injustice and inequality, first through the organizations he set up and later by joining his efforts with the national movement.

Babuji was a man of remarkable tenacity, persistence, grit and intellectual vigour with a profound commitment to moral and human values which have always sustained humankind.  His social and intellectual sensitivity and passion for knowledge drove him to absorb humanistic ideas from socialist literature which greatly influenced his ideology and convinced him of the imperative of building an egalitarian society.

Deeply conscious of the scourge of caste-based discrimination and the resultant marginalization of vast sections of the society, Babuji advocated a path of self-reliance for the Dalits and other depressed classes. He exhorted the oppressed castes to carry on a relentless struggle against social prejudices and degrading treatment meted out to them and wrest their legitimate rights from the unwilling hands of the entrenched interests. While he strove for social reforms and the abolition of casteism and its attendant evils, he also stressed on the overall empowerment of Dalits as well as a change in the mindset of society towards them. 

The welfare of the people always preceded any other consideration for Babuji. If he advocated strategies for economic growth to strengthen the nation and build a progressive and prosperous country, he was as much concerned about how the benefits should reach the common man. He was an articulate champion of the cause of labourers and oppressed classes. At the same time, he frequently reminded them of their responsibility towards building a vibrant and modern India. 

Friends, I feel extremely humble to inherent the illustrious legacy of Babuji.  I am sure millions of other secular, democratic and like-minded people would also be proud of the shining social and political legacy he left behind. I am confident that all of us –  liberal, progressive and secular compatriots too would agree that Babuji commanded the respect and admiration of the nation for his remarkable role as a freedom fighter, a statesman and a crusader for social justice.  The need of the hour is to carry forward his crusade for social justice in all its varied dimensions.

With these words, I have great pleasure in inaugurating the two–day National Seminar on the “Role of Babu Jagjivan Ram in Promoting Social Justice in India.”  I am sure the deliberations here would go a long way in sensitizing the people about the need to build an egalitarian and inclusive India where no one will be discriminated against on the basis of caste, creed and religion.

Thank you.