FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Today the majority seem to be radically opinionated social media going berserk. There is state patronage for vigilantes and medieval moral policing. The way the MEA, the PM in Parliament and the tweets apparently coordinated with many “Ratnas” like cricket God Sachin Tendulkar, and troll gangs reacted to tweets by Rihanna and others apparently shook our sovereignty and security. The PM labeling it FDI (Foreign Destructive Ideology) and international conspiracy to defame India to be repulsed with all our might, it got linked to the well known Khalisthan movement being fuelled from abroad. Such reaction does not behoove a mature nation aiming to rise to superpower status. To quote Ramchandra Guha “The response was steeped in hypocrisy, dishonesty and sense of proportion. The expressions of pride, solidarity of defiance and resolution strikingly reveals the fragile foundations on which our nationalism now rests!” There are strong views on our fellow countrymen based on religion, culture, caste, region, Hindu, Muslim, Bengali, Marathi manoos, Punjabi, South Indian, political Leftists, Rightists and so on, but rarely Indian. There is immediate hurt of sentiments to contrarian views due imagined cultural superiority, bigotry, touchiness, lack of humour and mind mixed up and set like concrete. It is our internal destructive ideologies that are sharply polarizing our nation. I remember reading a book titled The Ugly American written by an American. If we carry on like this we are likely to draw the view of being The Ugly Indian.
We appear to have graduated from Jai Jawan Jai Kissan to Jai Shri Ram, not in reverence and benevolence but in intimidation and belligerence. In Parliament, basic courtesy letting someone speak without interruption is rare, unlike the bonhomie speeches of Modi and Azad when his term in the Rajya Sabha ended. There are generally no discussions but shouting hard-line arguments where there can be no compromise. The majority termed ruling (instead of serving) government is very fond of unilateral issuing ordinances and somehow bulldozing laws without proper discussion which for example led to an avoidable farmers revolt against the three laws passed causing so many avoidable deaths, turmoil, misery, massive retaliation by all government forces, the usual tactics of discrediting, dividing, labeling as anti national, sedition, raids by enforcement agencies, false charges, this time effectively making the farmers react more strongly. Infiltration and politisation of this massive peaceful apolitical dissent led to Republic Day violence due to police incompetence and failure to ensure law and order, after the Supreme Court refused to stop the right to protest. Despite intelligence with them and warning from farmers of infiltrating elements, why did they not take this into consideration after permitting the tractor rally? The farmers kept their word as best they could. Police then made massive warlike arrangements against a planned peaceful Chakka Rally with 50,000 forces, trenches, barbed wires, layers of concrete blocks, nails in the road, etc, then cutting off farmer’s water supply, electricity, toilet, internet facilities and other inhuman tactics. Police maybe hamstrung to act professionally. All this is being watched by the entire world live on Television and to expect no comments on these actions as internal matter is naïve!
To quote Shashi Tharoor who was booked along with senior prominent journalists for sedition "We have free speech before, but not after making it!" Where is freedom of the Media to report freely and without fear what they see and hear, correct and update as it unfolds? Standup comedian put behind bars for what he intended to say, and it takes the Supreme Court to give him bail and enforce it! It broke my heart to have witnessed the migrant labour and Dalit travails, millions of loss of jobs, and the controversial High Court POSCO rulings on what constitutes rape among other strange rulings! Ex-CJI and now RS MP Justice Gogoi states that India has a ramshackle judiciary! An Agra couple after 5 years in prison on false charges is, finally reunited with their minor children. What about this horror brought into their lives? Myntra forced to revamp brand mark because some people reportedly found design/colour of letter M was indecent! Plenty of such incidents of injustice and violence with impunity and governments seem not the least bothered or blissfully unaware that their policies, actions and patronage might be the root cause of so much avoidable national trauma!
Without any blame game, let us frankly admit some things we need to note and act upon (Toolkit?) 1) We are not a Banana Republic but a respected Democracy 2) There must be respect for Constitutional law by the politicians, law makers, law enforcers, and the people 3) Just because a majority government is elected, it does not mean Ordinances galore and bulldozing laws through Parliament 4) Discipline flows by example from the top 5) Implementation of laws must be equitable and fair 6) Using police, enforcement agencies, all parties dirty politics, imposing State's writ unfairly and selectively is resented 7) Damping safety valve of criticism, complaints, free speech, liberty, justice and permitting vigilantism, police brutality with State patronage will blow up one day 8) Respecting nature and human rights, people must be able to trust their government 9) Brahaman is truth and reality, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family) and last but not least 10) Covid, global warming, climate change, pollution are warning us to change the way we are!
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
