New Delhi, Mar 31 (IANS): Veteran politician and former Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi has called upon India to take a leading role in prioritising prosperity, happiness, and peace for every living being.

The senior BJP politician said this while delivering the 5th Devendra Swaroop Memorial Lecture in the national capital on Friday.

"India has to decide where the country stands. Will India remain a mute spectator? The country has to think about it," Joshi said. He then went on to suggest that achieving a better world would require a new revolution - one that focuses on psychological and conscience-related changes.

Joshi also reminisced about his time spent with the late Devendra Swarup, eminent thinker and scholar, at the Allahabad University, describing him as an ideological man who lived a holistic life.

In his speech, Joshi also touched upon the rapid development of nature and society, particularly in the last few decades with the advent of advanced machines and steam engines. He also raised questions about the concept of labour and the changing character of capital and society.

Joshi criticised the concept of the GDP system, stating that it is not an indicator of human development, but rather, exploitation. He emphasised the need for a balanced world, where technology and machines coexist with prosperity and peace.