Indians being divided for political opportunism: Amartya Sen

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Saturday said the people of the country were being divided for “political opportunism”. Sen also lamented that the colonial practice of imprisoning people due to political reasons is still being continued, decades after India gained independence.

“There is an effort to divide Indians…create a rift in the co-existence of Hindus and Muslims on account of political opportunism,” he said during a virtual address at the centenary celebration of ‘Anandabazar Patrika’.

The first edition of the vernacular daily was published on March 13, 1922. Prafullakumar Sarkar was its founding-editor.

“At that time (1922), several people in the country were jailed for political reasons…I was very young then and often used to question whether this practice of sending people to jail without committing any crime will ever stop.

“Subsequently, India became independent, but this exercise is still very much in existence,” the 88-year-old celebrated economist said.

There is no doubt that efforts must be made to pursue the path of justice, he added.

Stress on unity

Earlier this month, Mr Sen had expressed concern over the current state of affairs in India, and said people should work towards maintaining unity.

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“I think if someone asks me if I’m scared of something, I would say ‘yes’. There is a reason to be afraid now. The current situation in the country has become a cause for fear,” the Nobel laureate had said at the inauguration of Amartya Research Centre in Salt Lake area near Kolkata.

Amartya Sen had also stressed the need to stay united in line with the country’s traditions.

“I want the country to be united. I don’t want division in a country that was historically liberal. We have to work together,” he said.