Happiness gained from money, power limited: Sonia

NEW DELHI - As the government battles several allegations of corruption, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday said there was a limit to happiness gained from money and power and there was need to imbibe the spirit of freedom fighters.

Speaking at a function to release a stamp in the memory of freedom fighter Chaudhary Ranbir Singh here, Gandhi said efforts should be made to work for the welfare of the people by keeping aside personal gains.

Citing the example of Ranbir Singh, a member of the Constituent Assembly who opted out of politics at the age of 64, she said such an attitude had a lot of value today when people were engaged in a blind race for gaining wealth and high posts.

“It seems often that we have moved away from the ideals of the independence struggle and that of our ancestors. Everybody should think what ideals they were leaving for the new generation. Money and power is not everything. The happiness from it is not everything. There is limit to such happiness. It can be used only to a limit. After that, it is only greed the world is running after,” Gandhi said.

She said the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters should not be forgotten. “One should remember that if they were seeking personal comforts, they would not have been able to fight for freedom,” Gandhi said.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson stressed that the meaning of public life was to understand the suffering of the common man and to make efforts to lessen it.

“We have to fight the attempts to destroy our social fabric through terrorism, communalism and casteism,” she said.

Gandhi’s remarks come at a time when the government is battling allegations of corruption and the party’s top leadership is contemplating changes in the party organisation followed by those in the cabinet after the budget session.

The function was attended by Chaudhary Ranbir Singh’s son and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Communications Minister Kapil Sibal.