Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM unveils statues of Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar at the Kerala Assembly

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here once again in this beautiful and green city of Thiruvananthapuram. I deem it an honour to be here to unveil the statues of our great national heroes outside this elegant building which is an excellent example of fine architecture.

This is a historic occasion for our country as a whole because I do not think we have anywhere the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Balasaheb Ambedkar all in the same premises. These premises will now become part of our national heritage for these three leaders are indeed the three great architects of our nation. Mahatma Gandhi was the architect of our freedom and our nationhood. Balasaheb Ambedkar was the architect of our Constitution. Jawaharlal Nehru the architect of modern India. I salute them today, as I unveil their statues here.

Each one of them has left a lasting impression on the fabric of our nation and on the edifice of our democracy. In spite of differences in views and approach among them, these outstanding leaders were united in their outlook to uphold the cause of India. I recall the words of our former Rashtrapathiji, Shri K.R. Narayanan, a great son of Kerala and a remarkable public figure of modern India, who inaugurated this new legislature complex. Synthesizing the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Ambedkar he once wrote, "If Mahatma Gandhi gave to the nationalist movement a mass dimension and a moral purpose and Jawaharlal Nehru an economic and socialist dimension, Dr Ambedkar gave it a profound social content and a challenging social-democratic vision". By erecting these statues here we pay tribute to the humanism, the modernism and social commitment of Gandhiji, Panditji and Ambedkarji.

Historically, Kerala was perhaps one of the earliest examples of the pluralism and inclusiveness that each of these three patriots has aspired for India. The tradition of tolerance for a multi-cultural and multi-religious society that we have seen for long in Kerala is what they wanted to establish all over the country. That every Malayali, irrespective of religion and creed, shares common cultural bonds through music, dance, cuisine and language is an inspiring example of "Unity in Diversity". It has fostered a culture of tolerance that symbolizes the idea of India and should inspire Indians across the sub-continent, across the world.

Here, in "God's Own Country", Sankara's philosophy co-existed harmoniously with the ideals of Islam and Christianity. For centuries the people of Kerala prayed to different Gods, but their "Unity in Diversity" has truly made this "God's Own Country". May the future of this great land and people be truly blessed.

This culture of accommodation, of give-and-take, of inclusiveness, of cosmopolitanism is what inspired the leaders of our national movement to fight for an India that belonged to all Indians. The foundation of our democracy is built on this ancient Indian idea of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - the universe is one family. Every leader of our national movement, and not just these three tall men whose memory we perpetuate today, was wedded to this ideal of an inclusive, secular India. We must constantly, and at all times, renew our commitment to these ideals.

Kerala is also an outstanding example of humane economic development. Your commitment to education, to social justice and to the empowerment of women, workers and farmers, stands out for the entire country to follow. Kerala has succeeded in this struggle for humane development because of the modernism and social commitment of your leaders. Dr. B.R.Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly that "social and economic democracy are the tissue and fibre of political democracy". The impressive performance of Kerala in the realm of social and economic fields is in consonance with the vision of Gandhiji, Panditji and Ambedkarji. The challenge before the State now is to augment its industrial and agricultural growth to supplement and sustain the high human development indices.

The manner in which we allow our legislative institutions to function will shape people's perceptions about them. These institutions of democracy have to be nurtured and protected so that we can safeguard the future of democracy. Those who get elected to these august institutions of our democracy have an obligation to the people to make sure that we renew the faith of our people in our democratic institutions. In his last speech to the Constituent Assembly, Ambedkarji said that unconstitutional methods were "the grammar of anarchy". He stressed the importance of resorting to constitutional methods for the redressal of all grievances. His assertion that "the cultivation of constitutional morality among people is indispensable for the successful operation of democracy" is of immense relevance in our own time. There is no point in constructing fine buildings that are pleasing to the eye, if the proceedings within are hardly pleasing to the ear!

We owe it to our posterity to conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy of our people, our freedom fighters, our Constitution and our great Republic. I hope that statues like these outside our legislative buildings will inspire us when we enter these portals. Each time we rise to speak within, we must give a thought to the sacrifice, the statesmanship and the sincerity of leaders like Gandhiji, Panditji and Ambedkarji.

They must inspire us to work for the welfare of our people, for the future of our country, for the benefit of all mankind.

Few nations are blessed to have in such a short span of time such a galaxy of great men. India was truly blessed during the 20th Century to be home to so many great, forward-looking, liberal, progressive, socially committed leaders. We must, in this Century, rise to their expectations and build a humane and great nation.

The Kerala legislature has been home to some of our greatest political leaders. I salute the memory of Pattom Thanu Pillai, R. Shankar, EMS, Mohammad Koya, Achutha Menon, PKV, E K Nayanar and all those who have made Kerala a model state in human development. We are proud that leaders like Shri A K Antony and Shri Oommen Chandy have taken Kerala forward in the era of modernization. I am sure that this new generation of Kerala's political leaders will work hard to write your future in letters of gold.

I am also happy to be here in Kerala on the eve of the festival of Onam. It is a festival of all Malayalis and is a symbol of joy, equality and sharing. I greet the people of Kerala in this festive season. May it usher an era of prosperity and well-being.

I wish the people of Kerala a bright and prosperous future.

Thank you.