Top Gandhian questions UN chief's forthcoming visit to Vibrant Gujarat "mela" for corporate honchos

Dr Sudarshan Iyengar

By A Representative
Senior Gandhian and thinker Sudarshan Iyengar has taken strong exception to United Nations (UN) secretary-general Ban Ki- moon’s decision to deliver keynote address at the Vibrant Gujarat world business meet on January 11 at Gandhinagar, saying, the topmost UN dignitary’s participation in the “mela” of business honchos does not augur well with the overall UN ideology. In an article he has penned for Gujarati journal “Nireekshak”, Dr Iyengar said, among the main directions the UN is supposed to take include sustainable development, guarding against manmade and natural disasters, working against violent conflicts and for peace, and defending human rights.
Pointing out that Ki-moon himself declared this as his agenda on January 25, 2012, when he took over the office for the second term, Iyengar, who just retired as vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi-founded university, Gujarat Vidyapeeth in Ahmedabad, said, as none of this is the agenda of the Vibrant Gujarat summit, it is “difficult to understand” why the UN secretary-general is trying to give credence to the “mela”. The “mela”, he said, is aimed at discussing different types of offers Gujarat has made to attract business investment.
“It is strange that international leaders, who should be discussing this with national leaders, are attending a state function of this type. It is particularly a matter of serious concern that the UN secretary-general has accepted the invitation”, Iyengar underlined in his hard-hitting comment, which he forwarded to www.counterview.net.
Not only does the UN secretary-general’s presence in the top Gujarat event “undermine the dignity” of the post Ki-moon holds, the senior Gandhian said, his presence at the Vibrant Gujarat 2015 is of "significance" for another reason, too. “The UN’s main agenda include ending to conditions of violent conflicts between nations, working for equality and justice, and providing a secure livelihood. If Ki-moon fails to offer this during his keynote speech, one would only conclude that the UN is acting under the direct pressure of world market forces and business honchos.”

Placard welcoming Ki-moon to Vibrant Gujarat 

Pointing towards “structural violence” that is prevailing in some parts of the world because of sharply-accelerated discrimination based on gender, caste, creed, religion and race, Iyengar suggested that the UN’s aim should be to work for ensuring to root out such conflicts.
“There is a further acceleration in these conflicts because of the sale of latest technology arms and ammunition in the free world market. This is undermining world peace”, he said, regretting, India has already emerged as the largest importer of armaments in the world, against the backdrop of the “perceived threat” it faces from its neighbours. The defence-related imports have gone up by a whopping 111 per cent in the last five years, and there is no end to it.
Giving the example of latest technology military choppers and other armaments are sought from the US in the wake of the recent Modi visit to Washington, with Russia now sharply chipping in, making the US wary, Iyengar said, back home, in India, “structural violence” can be seen taking new forms.
Already, he said, the “Hinduist organizations and individuals” are seeking forced conversion as a panacea for India’s ills at a time when Modi is talking of pushing the country towards faster economic growth. Seen against this backdrop, the Gandhian said, Ki-moon’s visit would only give an additional credence to the view that emergence of India as a theological states, a Hindu Rashtra, is “essential for fighting Islamic extremism and terrorism.”