In a world of appearance and reality, deception and deceiving are mundane. The truth is out there, but few make any effort to find it. Democracy – government of the people, for the people and by the people – is the facade, but the reality is far from truth. Gullible people seldom delve deeper to try to distinguish appearance from truth. And this tendency has allowed politicians to manipulate their constituents at every turn of events. The political drama that is unfolding before our eyes had a profound genesis, but has taken an ominous turn. Anna Hazare led an anti-corruption movement, which provided a readymade platform on which BJP could build a viable, attractive and compelling narrative that caused a political tsunami during the 2014 general election. It seemed democracy had come alive with gusto and for righteous reasons. When a nation is swamped in corruption, a new voice and a new direction are the needs of the hour. And, BJP seized the moment with mesmerizing language.
Alas, the people were unaware that they were in for another political wild ride. The present political dispensation took its license for action in the name of fighting corruption and crafted its own narrative to promote its own political agenda, Hindutva (one discourse, one nation). One result was a surprising and unprecedented move by the Prime Minister to demonetize 500 and 1000 rupee notes without debate or approval from the Parliament. This action was sold to the nation with golden promises such as end of black money, counterfeit currency and terrorism. Before this gigantic move, the national parties, like Congress, were on par with BJP when it came to fiscal power. Since November 8, 2016, its effect is glaring, and all can behold it. Every election is bought or fought with money power, and BJP now has that in excess, thanks to demonetization. Democracy is in peril. The stated goals of demonetization have not been realized, but millions of people have had to endure pain and sorrow because of this policy. Some have lost their loved ones, others have lost jobs and marriages have been disrupted or dismissed. There are many other untold socio-political and economic consequences. Despite the dastardly consequences, BJP continues to celebrate what for many is the death of democracy.
The latest example involves the change of political landscape in Bihar. Accusing his allied partner in the so called Mahagathbandhan of corruption, the Chief Minister resigned, only to join forces with BJP. These acts are not nuanced. People don’t have to read between the lines to perceive what really is happening; it is blatantly obvious. The people’s mandate of democracy is being tossed in the dustbin, in the name of one party’s politics. These death-to-democracy tactics are playing out all over the country. Goa was victim of such manipulation, and the ripple effects are there for all to behold (It was similar to what happened in Manipur). During the last assembly election, Goa Forward Party fought against BJP, but soon thereafter joined hands with BJP. Now the GFP Supremo has the audacity to say that in the by-election, the present Chief Minister should be elected unopposed. This language does not befit a legislator who is among those at the helm of the country’s democratic process. It is sad to see Congress’ legislators from Gujarat transported from their constituency just when they need assistance due to flooding, and only so they will not be “bought” by BJP.
Demonetization was supposed to curb the corruption across the board, but it only gave leverage to the ruling dispensation to witch-hunt in order to distract notice from their own sins. Opposing parties and those who oppose the ruling dispensation ideology have suddenly become targets of raids and harassment, while the ruling dispensation and its supporters are having a gay old time. Look at Birla-Sahara files, which had names of big fish from the present dispensation who were just rubbed aside, why? Even the highest court of the country dismissed the complaints of the ousted, and didn’t allow for any independent investigation. What a shame? Ironically, we Indians tend to look down on Pakistan for many reasons, but Pakistanis should be credited for criminally convicting their Prime Minister for holding undeclared assets in the Panama case. Here in India, the whole system is sleeping with Panama papers, because the stalwarts and supporters of BJP are named. Democracy is at a crossroads on all counts under the present administration. The gullible voters were fooled with a promise of 15 some lakes rupees, but instead, the poor people have had to empty their pockets and accounts. It is ominous for democracy when all branches of government function at the behest of the ruling party. It is disconcerting that the majority of media outlets play to the tune of BJP. This trend, if allowed to continue, will certainly lead to the death of democracy in India.
India is the largest democracy in the world, and its strength is unity in diversity. It would be a travesty to even consider that a nation that is home to so many religious would support the one discourse of Hindutav. But the Hindutav proponents continue to deliver gory glimpses of fascism in the form of mob lynching, at the behest of the current discourse created and initiated by RSS and entertained by BJP. Indian society is layered, and those living on the society’s lower strata are trampled by the power of the upper caste. The cow ban is one such tool recently employed to harass poor people and religious minorities. All rational beings should keep in mind that love and respect for humans cannot be trumped by respect for any other earthly creatures, including cows. How can India set aside annually 500 crores of taxpayers’ rupees to house aged cows, when millions of people in India are dying of hunger or live on the streets? Why should cows get comfortable retirement when children labor for the necessities of life? Those who believe cows are sacred are free to believe as they wish, but their religious beliefs should be private affairs, not public policy dictated by government leaders. A democracy can only be as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, it is imperative to empower the minorities and those disenfranchised in the society, rather than harassing and hurting them via cow vigilantes, anti-Romeo squads and other such “anti- Hindutav” groups. Even the “apparent” political goalpost has shifted from demonetization to fight corruption to promoting Hindutva ideology, at the cost of economic meltdown, social upheaval, and division in society. Now is the time to consider whether the party of demonetization will bring down the curtain on democracy, or whether Indian democracy is much stronger than RSS ideology.
