Dr Raju Narayana Swamy, IAS, popularly known as Kerala’s anti-corruption crusader and a firebrand bureaucrat, said that the Indian freedom movement served as a powerful ideological incubator that shaped the core values of modern India.
Speaking at a function organised in Mahe (Puducherry) to felicitate students for academic excellence in memory of freedom fighter Sri Kummaya Mukundan, Dr Swamy said the struggle against British imperialism nurtured enduring civilisational values such as secularism, democracy, socialism and self-reliance, which continue to define India’s socio-political fabric and constitutional identity.
According to him, the freedom movement promoted fundamental principles including democracy, liberty and equal respect for all faiths and communities. He observed that the movement cultivated the belief that the nation must treat all citizens equally irrespective of religion.
Dr Swamy noted that the later phases of the freedom struggle, particularly during the 1930s, advanced an egalitarian vision focused on social justice, economic fairness and the welfare of marginalised sections of society.
Highlighting the significance of the Swadeshi movement, he said the boycott of foreign goods was closely linked to the idea of economic self-reliance and helped build national pride while encouraging sustainable local development.
He further said that the freedom struggle championed Ahimsa and Satyagraha as instruments of non-violence and truth, demonstrating the strength of mass mobilisation and proving that moral conviction could challenge even the most powerful empires.
Calling upon the younger generation to uphold these universally accepted principles, Dr Swamy said the ideological evolution of the freedom movement ultimately laid the foundation of independent India and permanently enshrined the values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity in the Preamble of the Constitution.
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