A well-known actor Naseeruddin Shah basically criticizing communal mob violence where a police officer was killed is trolled, shamed and labeled anti- national who should be banished to Pakistan! The BJP government steered by its mentor the RSS and backed by the Sangh Parrivar organisations are able to control or intimidate and challenge every institution including most of the press, media and even the Supreme Court. They have apparently reduced the enforcement agencies and police to handmaidens, influencing the professional expertise of the armed forces, misusing them for various policing and other jobs. It is tragic that the Supreme Court ruling on the Sabrimala issue has both the BJP and Congress subvert that decision by inciting religious emotions and traditions, turning Kerala into a war zone. The State is prevented by devotees/violent mobs and hooligans from helping women of menstrual ages to worship at the temple. Central government hypocrisy and double standards are obvious where triple Talaq is concerned. Vote bank politics today is devoid of morality, rationality and common sense!
In Porvorim just after the traffic lights at O’Coqueiro, a temple holds functions where they put up a pandal/stage, completely taking over a large portion of the public footpath area for days, with vehicles parked on the busy crowded CHOGM roadside. This completely disrupts the heavy traffic, especially during holiday season and forces pedestrians to walk on the road. RSS reportedly hold their Shakas in public places. It seems so hypocritical to hear BJP ministers justify Yogi Adityanath orders to ban Muslims from a day’s namaaz in any public place as it would inconvenience public! If this is a good reason, and here I agree, why not strictly enforce it without favoritism or discrimination for all religions and all functions all over India? Where are the real values preached by religion? What bothers me more is the likewise lack of consideration, increasingly violent and undisciplined behavior of our Goenkars!
Shiroda locals were angry over surveillance by an alleged traffic sentinel who operated from a rented shop selling electronic goods. They somehow concluded that the many challans from the police were due to his reports. The gathered mob forced the individual to run for his life and the owner to terminate the lease. This is another example of people assisted surveillance, rule of law and mob rule? Vehicles regularly stop over or on the zebra crossing and not slow down but accelerate at the yellow light and break through a red light or go on a one way road aggressively breaking traffic rules. Why have the politicians, government authorities, and the people become so militant, arrogant and uncaring? We do have our achievements, but why boastful and no criticism tolerated where due? Take the Bogibeel Bridge over Brahmaputra inaugurated on 25th December 2018 by Modi in Assam. The foundation stone was laid in 1997, estimated as Rs 3,200 crores when construction started in 2002. The delayed costs over a 20 year period naturally skyrocketed. I was video viewing the bridge built by China from Hong Kong to Macao across the sea and also an almost 100 mile plus bridge through the Himalayas mountain gorges and rivers. They never boasted even a quarter of what I read and heard of the Assam bridge from our government and media!
The government recent brazen attempt to authorise 10 central agencies including commissioner of police to snoop into everyone’s computers/mobiles like a “stalker government” is reprehensible! If the Congress government a decade ago passed such a law and was indulging in snooping, how does that justify the BJP doing likewise? The right to privacy was not declared as a fundamental right then and with only a prejudiced union/state home secretary approval (no committee or judicial approval), also in “emergency” cases, which maybe even taken post facto after 3 days freely operates only at the executive level! Government demands total transparency from citizens and near total opacity from citizen’s scrutiny? It is uncensorable social media and UNHCR watch which enabled an eighteen old Saudi Arabian girl in Thailand survive from dangerous patriarchal forces.
Gaurakshas and mobs, sometimes with State compliance, enforce their writ on the helpless victims like cattle traders, movie makers, minorities and Dalits. Colossal built statues and constructions unilaterally planned against public opinion, names of institutions, cities and places changed on whims of powerful leaders with a vengeance, unfinished bridges inaugurated and so on. Historical emphasis is deftly rewritten, for example Andaman Islands renamed by the PM and Bose called the first Prime minister of Azad Hind government. Veer Savarkar jail cell deemed “nothing less than a temple!” There hovers a deception of good cop/bad cop as Modi eventually condemns gaurakshas lynching and communal violence, but says not a word to prevent all this when his government patronizes majoritarian mobs, ignores communally inciting statements, permits ideological militant groups to illegally terrorise, cause immense damage and impose their will!.
In a democracy those who strongly and annoyingly differ with the existing order must be free and secure to do so as per law applied equally to either side! All citizens must be able to live without fear and in safety, peace and harmony with no one above the law and a reoriented mindset as Voltaire’s “I totally disagree with what you say, but shall fight to death to protect your right to say it”.
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
