Former President Pranab Mukherjee at the book launch in New Delhi, Saturday. (Photo: PTI)Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said that rights were not static but changed with the socio-economic context. He gave the example of laws dealing with environment and property to make his point.
Mukherjee was speaking at the launch of the book Discourse on Rights in India: Debates and Dilemmas published by Routledge and edited by Miranda House Acting Principal Bijayalaxmi Nanda and Kamala Nehru College Assistant Professor Nupur Ray.
“The concept of right is not permanent or static. It changes with the context of socio-economic conditions. In 1950, 69 years ago when members of the Constituent Assembly finalised the Constitution, was environment a major issue then? To protect the environment did not find a place in the fundamental rights,” Mukherjee said at the launch at India International Centre.
However, he added, today people strongly felt about the environment as an issue since it affected them directly. Similarly, he said, the property law underwent changes many times.
Mukherjee said the issue of rights is raised around elections and that it would continue to be a discussed topic. “Debate will and should continue,” he said.
Professor Ashok Acharya from Delhi University’s Political Science department was also present at the launch. He said that 10-15 years ago, India was at the “cusp of social and economic rights revolution” but a lot had changed since then.
He then said there were two different challenges.
“We’ve started redefining who we the people are, and in redifing that we are redifinjng who must get their rights,” he said.
Also present at the launch were Veena Kukreja, Head of Department of Political Science and political scientist Manoranjan Mohanty.
