On free and fair elections, Indian Overseas Congress Chief Sam Pitroda said that I heard someone from the government speaking about democracy recently on some YouTube. Democracy is not about elections. Election is a starting point. Free and fair election is a starting point, which we don't have today. You know, and we say, yes, we have democracy because we had elections. No, that's not true. We didn't have fair and free elections. Now we can talk about the degree of it and we can have a discussion on it. That's fine. But I should be able to have a conversation and dignified conversation.
#SAMPITRODA #CONGRESS #ELECTION #INSTITUTUIONS #OVERSEASCONGRESS
#SAMPITRODA #CONGRESS #ELECTION #INSTITUTUIONS #OVERSEASCONGRESS
Category
ЁЯЧЮ
NewsTranscript
00:00Democracy is not about elections.
00:04Election is a starting point.
00:07Free and fair election is a starting point, which we don't have today, I can tell you.
00:15Second thing is really institutions, independent institutions, judiciary, security, police,
00:22universities.
00:23Our universities are not independent.
00:27If I get invited to a university, vice-chancellor gets panicked.
00:32Hello, Petroda is invited?
00:35No, no, no, no, government might say something, don't invite him.
00:40Is that democracy?
00:42Is that freedom?
00:44Then civil society is not allowed to function properly.
00:50Third, media is not fair.
00:55These are the things that make democracy, you know, and we say, yes, we have democracy
01:01because we had elections.
01:03No, that's not true.
01:07We didn't have fair and free elections.
01:11Now we can talk about the degree of it and we can have a discussion on it, that's fine.
01:16But I should be able to have a conversation, a dignified conversation, you and I had a
01:23dignified conversation.
01:27You know, we don't have to agree on everything, but you are a young man and I need to understand
01:31your needs.