Indian political discourse needs fresh ideas, thoughts: Kamal Morarka

Kamal Morarka, the new president of the Samajwadi Janata Party ( Chandra Shekhar), wants to infuse new thought in the party without compromising its values.

Industrialist Kamal Morarka was recently elected president of the Samajwadi Janata Party (Chandra Shekhar), a party founded by his mentor, the late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar. Morarka was a former minister in the Prime Minister’s office.

The party’s national convention was recently held at the Mavalankar Hall in Delhi, where Ravinder Manchanda, treasurer of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, was also named Secretary General. With a huge turnout of delegates, chief guests Sharad Yadav and DP Tripathi spoke about the importance of socialist values and secular principles in public life.

These values and principles, Morarka said in his valedictory address, will be the focus of the party in the coming years. The party will initially focus on UP and Bihar but will soon spread its wings to other states.


Morarka has made some memorable speeches in Parliament. (Image: BCCL)

“I think Indian political discourse needs fresh ideas, fresh thoughts as we move into a new era with a renewed economy that will not generate as many jobs as the earlier one did. Also, farmers are facing a crisis and we need to address their problems more seriously than we have done for so long,” he said, when asked what will be the objectives of the new party under his leadership.

Setting the pace
At 70, this is another interesting move for Morarka, who is always surprising his friends and supporters with his new ideas.
Last year, one of India’s most distinguished publishers brought out Morarka’s most memorable speeches in Parliament in the form of a book called Left of Centre. It appeared in three editions: English, Hindi and Urdu, all of which were hugely popular and quickly sold out. The English edition made it to the top bestseller lists, proving that the socialist thought, though on the backfoot now, has still not entirely disappeared from our lives.

A few months ago, a collection of his wildlife photographs were published in a coffee table book called Roar: A Walk on the Wild Side with Kamal Morarka. It was published by Sanctuary, one of India’s most respected environmental publishers, with introductions by Pritish Nandy and Bittu Sahgal. The book has been acclaimed all over and is expected to appear in an international edition from the US.

Morarka dons many hats — a successful businessman, a cricket administrator who was the vice-president of the BCCI during Jagmohan Dalmia’s time, a minister in the Union cabinet, a wild life photographer and an organic farmer who has done some great work in his native Rajasthan to promote agriculture and support farmers in many ways. As a media owner with a daily English newspaper (started with journalist Behram Contractor) and a weekly in Hindi edited by Santosh Bhartiya, he and his MR Morarka foundation have been also at the forefront to promote art, Sanskrit literature and culture.

This year, his friends and admirers are putting together a tome to commemorate his 70th birthday, with letters and good wishes from India’s most celebrated people — politicians, journalists, movie stars and ministers — recollecting their best moments with Morarka.