The country is in real turmoil and a sense of disquiet and dissatisfaction, both seen and unseen, seems to be prevailing and pervading all over. The unseen is sometimes worse, as was observed during the dictatorial rule of Indira Gandhi, at the time of Emergency. However, oblivious of the fate Indira had in 1977, the present Government is merrily going about its agenda by bringing in laws, as a formality, in Parliament, bulldozing them without allowing any discussion and having them approved by the brute majority it holds, but with total disregard of the Opposition, despite the full knowledge of them being highly controversial.
And the best way of crushing protests and stifling public dissent is to cut off internet and charge innocent leaders with sedition for abetting or promoting separatist forces. The Government has successfully silenced almost the entire electronic media, though it has not been as lucky with the print. Several TV channels have succumbed to pressures and done away with some of their best and most vocal investigators, news editors and commentators, leaving viewers with mediocre announcers and anchors.
If our intolerant rulers had their way, they would have imposed restrictions on social media too, though they did succeed to some extent, with threats of action and sanctions. But for most of us, images, videos and comments on WhatsApp, humorously and hilariously portraying people in high positions in poor light and making a mockery of them, as we had never seen before of other leaders, have kept the users well entertained.
With a Judiciary which, by delays and adjournments, enabled detention for months, if not years, eventually sometimes finding the victims to be innocent, the weapon of arrest has proved to be an easy and convenient tool to muzzle people’s voices and curbing protests. The imaginary theory of a “global conspiracy” to damage India’s reputation as the “world’s largest democracy” and appealing to people’s nationalistic emotions, have also immensely helped in justifying arrests and using brutal force to stop people from protesting or demonstrating against Government’s autocratic rule –something never seen, except during a declared Emergency. However, all this has only led us to become a laughing stock for the world and in lowering the esteem in which people all over held us, as a vibrant and populous democracy.
Some of the main reasons for the ouster of UPA Government were corruption and high fuel prices. It is conventional wisdom that corruption is no longer an issue, since anyway everyone seems corrupt and the Lokpal movement has long been forgotten. Prices of fuel are up by over 30%, the worst increase being in last one year and around two thirds being taxes, which could have easily been reduced to stop the rise of inflation. And this, exactly at a time when people lost incomes and jobs and have less money to spend, has hit badly everyone, especially the poor. Yet, people have shown extreme tolerance levels, unlike during the previous regime, perhaps because they were aware that the Government then was somewhat sensitive and responsive to protests, whereas it is not so now. People have seen how this Government has treated the farmers and do not expect any better response to their woes of increase in fuel and gas prices.
If the Government has been overlooking the silent dissatisfaction among the people, denting severely its popularity, it is surely because it has something up its sleeve. Three years to 2024 is a long time to make even those with a prodigious memory to forget the unfortunate and abominable happenings of today, but besides this, the ruling Party does surely count on its powerful and rich beneficiaries to come to its rescue to finance the elections. After all, the attempts at handing over much of the country’s assets in the hands of big industrialists and pushing them further in the world map as among the top rich, must pay off and the Party which promoted them, sacrificing the country and much of its own popularity, has to be handsomely rewarded.
Coming to Goa, I think all of us are confused and losing track of where we are marching or to which precipice our leaders are leading us to. We could have never imagined that Goa had so many traitors, depraved and degenerate sons – thank God, not many daughters – capable of selling their land and their people, solely to retain their chairs and positions. And to think that these renegades are people elected by us is shocking and shameful.
It is expected from fascists to set the Police against all peaceful agitators, as they can never be tolerant of any opposition. The Chief Minister has his hands full with agitations spreading now all over Goa. People have belatedly realised what our rulers are up to and that the only way to stop them from destroying Goa further is to come out on to the roads. It is sad that despite knowing fully well that these protests are genuine and that the agitators are non political and have no political ambitions and their only purpose is to save their land and livelihoods, the CM shamelessly used the Police to quell the protests, which will thus only grow in strength and in numbers, for Goans are determined to save Goa, come what may.
Goa’s CM will have to decide whether to yield to the genuine and most justified demands and grievances of Goans or whether he will go down in the history of Goa as a petty despot determined to suffocate the voices of the people, to satisfy the insatiable greed of a few.
(The author is a retired Banker).
