What we are officially told is going on in the world and especially in India confuses belying ground realities, and it is better to democratically question than remain in cowardly silence. Apparently those we vote into government to serve us have pretensions of staying in power to rule us, not only taking umbrage at any criticism or inconvenient question but penalising us for it! We have an iconic Prime Minister who can do no wrong and keeps assuring “Sab Ka Saath, Vikas and Vishwas”, and slogans like “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (world one family), heading the biggest democracy in the world where Jai Kissan has changed to aggressive Jai Shri Ram. Eminent advocate like Harish Salve and metro man Shridharan support this bandwagon. Sticking to facts we can see this in the BJP election rhetoric especially in Bengal and the continued blatant polarisation of the country! The Supreme Court instead of being the guardian of the Constitution appears to be permitting the executive to overpower our legal system.
Draconian laws like UAPA, Sedition made for terrorists but now applied freely against perceived dissidents, deemed guilty unless proved innocent! Activists, academics, reporters, comedians, ailing senior citizens, teenagers, anyone can be put behind bars by a politician-controlled trigger happy police. By the time the courts can declare them innocent, they and their family lives have already been ruined. Various human rights and other organisations have mostly been hounded or shunted out for alleged anti national activities. Foreign government’s awards and opinions are welcomed, adverse ones sharply and arrogantly rebuffed! Accusations about electoral autocracy, Hindutva narrative vehemently denied decried by External Affairs minister citing praised benevolent vaccine diplomacy. What about internal treatment of own citizens? Priority should be the common man!
The charades of democracy that are going on are an insult to the voter! After elections, parties jostling for power, the hordes of elected members switching sides, parties whisking away MPs/MLAs to distant five star hotels so they cannot be poached, the bribery and every strong arm tactic and means used to win the numbers required to stay in power! To quote ex BJP stalwart Yeshwant Sinha “This government can do anything to win elections. All the institutions including democracy have become weak”. These are not foreign observations! Politicians once elected think they are authorised to do whatever they want in our name, never mind if it destroys many families and lives in what they determine is for the good for the majority or the nation! Justice Dhamendra Rane boldly spelling out as reminder for our authorities, the principles of natural justice enshrined in our Constitution in the bail judgment of young Disha Ravi is a clear indictment of the times we live in where those in public office are progressively unwilling to do what is right and align their own thinking to the powers that be which patronise them to safely act outside the law!
This is not a banana republic but the farmer’s agitation going on in our democracy for almost 120 days and counting, inflicting avoidable pain to countless families, women and children, and even deaths is pathetic! Their peaceful agitations have been politicised and added accusations of anti national and international conspiracies to break up/defame the nation! The government wants to discuss the contentious laws clause by clause and amend them outside Parliament, agreeing to defer implementation by 18 months, involved the Supreme Court which has stayed these laws. Farmers amassed on the borders continue their agitation, government hoping to wear them down regardless of further resultant anger and suffering! Government’s democratic attitude comes across as: “We have told you the laws are in your interest many times and you better comply or we know how to deal with you!” Legally a law cannot be held in abeyance for so long at government’s whim, and farmers told they have the option to not follow them. This whole mess and disastrous avoidable consequences resulting are all due to disrespect shown to Parliament! If these laws are quickly repealed, brought into force democratically in Parliament, we could reinstate trust in democracy, in each other and the government?
Today with nuclear weapons, Rover exploring Mars, artificial intelligence, and awesome technology, what have we done to the earth, ourselves and are continuing doing now? The air in our major cities are not fit for healthy breathing, rivers and seas badly polluted, the denizens of the waters and air are being decimated and almost everything we drink and eat is polluted to some degree or other. The sparrows are scarce and millions of flora and fauna wiped out! The horrible Nirbhaya rapes have not ceased, there are mini wars and agitations going on all over the world. Trumpism is still emulated and condoned in some nations and crime, human drug trafficking etc, rampant. Mumbai’s top cop has accused Home Minister of extortion, government generally using popular politics to deceive and enslave using power, violence and greed to sustain it. This is scary!
What will it take after Corona stopped the whole world in its tracks, for nations to work together? Do the means used justify a positive end? The rise of Hitler, resulting holocaust are a stark reminder what excesses elected governments can resort to wanting achieve dictatorial ends! The suffering and trauma unethically caused to even one human being demeans noble humanity!
(The author is a retired naval officer, freelance writer resident in Porvorim)
