Chandigarh, January 19
“Indians must take pride in themselves,” says Mr Ujjal Dosanjh, the first-ever member of the Indian diaspora to become the Premier of a Canadian province, holding that from “outside India looks like a colony of US intellectualship”.

“The people must realise their potential. They are second to none. But unfortunately, they have no sense of pride in what they are,” laments the former Premier of British Columbia currently on a three-week tour of the country of his origin.

“When I left India in the 60s, I was a child. When I came back in 1977 after 13 years, I was deeply hurt at almost everything. But after two -and -a -half months of stay here, I started turning numb to dirt and filth, poor hygiene and inadequate healthcare and education facilities everywhere as otherwise I would not have survived. Basically, in India we have become a dishonest society.

“India needs to be shaken up as time has come when the country should go for its second war of independence or freedom. This time the enemy is corruption,” says Mr Dosanjh, who called on Mr Hari Jaisingh, Editor, The Tribune, here this afternoon. Accompanying him were Mr D.S. Bains, Secretary, NRI Department of the Punjab Government, and Mr R. Handa, a taxation expert.

“It is almost after 18 years that I am visiting The Tribune office. The last time I came here was in 1985,” recalled Mr Dosanjh, disclosing that he was a regular reader of the online edition of The Tribune, “I keep myself abreast of the political developments back home”.

Mr Ujjal Dosanjh feels that India needs to fight battles against dirt, injustice, social inequalities, corruption etc. “Unfortunately, no one is fighting any such battle. I feel it is the people who have to fight their own battles. They have to become nationally angry with themselves and must say ‘no more’. They must have a spirit of defiance against any injustice. They have to learn to say ‘cannot take it any more’. Only then things will improve.”

“In my opinion, the priorities or central core areas would be effective policing, best judiciary and an efficient prosecution system. If a constable in the police is honest, efficient , free and fair, he becomes as important constituent of the system as the Chief Justice is. Garbage in is garbage out. Make the criminal justice system effective. Once you are successful in instilling fear among the wrong-doers, you have virtually won the battle,” opines Mr Dosanjh who before becoming the Premier of British Columbia had a four-year stint as Attorney-General of the province. “I could never tell a cop on the road what to do but the cop could always tell me what to do.”

Accompanied by his wife, Kamal, son Aseem and daughter-in-law Bobby he arrived in New Delhi on January 8 to receive the Pravasi Bharti Samman from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. He visited his native village, Dosanjh Kalan, near Phagwara, before coming to Chandigarh yesterday.