CAN THIS BECOME INDIA’S
TAHRIR SQUARE?
The prophecy of the English bulldog, Winston
Churchill, is working itself out in the sovereign state which emerged from the
bastion of colonial power of the British Empire, on the stroke of midnight on
14th Aug 1947. That the country would get ruled by rascals,
freeloaders, lumpen, coots and inept leaders is nearer the truth in these
times, than ever before in the political history of the country. India was
unprepared for political suffrage in the midst of social and economic
inequality, which was the reality then. We as a country had entered into a life
of contradictions, wherein the principle of one person one vote did not
subscribe to one value. This was the democracy we had assured to ourselves, in
which the state ruled but did not serve. The situation which prevails in the
country today is an abject manifestation of this contradiction, in which the
political class has discredited and disparaged the Constitution, which upholds
our democracy. For long the wrath and anger of the people was swelling up in
their being, but was unable to express itself in social activism or else an uprising against
the government of the day. It took a Gandhian and a veteran soldier, Anna Hazare,
who publicly demonstrated and protested against the unwillingness of the
politicians to pass the Lok Pal Bill in the parliament and thereby evince to
the people of India his courage to lead from the front on a matter of a people’s
issue. It was during this time that the
youth of the country were galvanized like never before to make a social statement,
which adversely impacted and affected the mundane life of citizens. They came
from all across the country and congregated under the protesting umbrella of
Anna Hazare. The water had come to the mouth and was on the verge of asphyxiating
the common man. The youth had savored the power of agitating against the
arrogance of the politicians and the government in equal measure and enjoyed
the leverage which it provided them, to make a point to their elected
representatives who otherwise remained deaf and apathetic to their daily woes. Then
Baba Ramdev and Arvind Kejriwal further bulwarked and fanned this belief in the
third generation of our people since we got independence, which were willing to
come out of their comfort zones to join the battle for their cause with the
politicians and the government, by ensuring a crescendo to the demands of the
social activists. The demographic dividend, which Nandan Nilekani talks about
in his book, has finally arrived and is infused with the thought to shape the country’s
future, “not by chance but by choice”. The cultural fatalism of India got
buried in the surge of its youth power.
The already angry and fuming masses that were fed
on a disgusting and pathetic diet of one scam after another, involving the
political leadership in the United Progressive Alliance (II) coalition government,
which is adept at only practicing motion that does not degenerate into action;
was shocked by the gruesome and brutal rape of a 23 year old girl in the
National Capital Region of Delhi. This was like the proverbial last straw which
broke the back of the camel. The Nation was in outrage against the apathy and
inefficiency of the Delhi and Central Government, on a matter of women and
people issue. The police was targeted as the face of the administration, which
is mandated to ensure and provide for the security of the citizens. When the
masses converged upon Lutyen’s Delhi in protest against the callous response of
the political leadership, to a sensitive issue which enjoys public empathy, the
government went into a tizzy and unleashed its might on innocent protesters in
an attempt to shatter their resolve and conviction. This was not the kind of people
who had earlier assembled in Ramlila Maidan under the banner of Baba Ramdev,
and were chased out from there under the midnight assault of the Rapid Action
Force. But, this is the youth of India who have done proud to the spirit of a
people’s movement, with their indefatigable energy and a non negotiable outlook
demanding ACTION.
The spin doctors of the Central Government, who
urge the Party leadership, which de facto controls the strings of decision
making; were probably guided by their past experience of dealing with similar
eventualities and wearing out the protesters by a doctrine of attrition. But
this is not to be, as is emerging in the continuous upsurge among civil society
to draw an actionable commitment from the Government, in the instant matter as
also for the future security of its people. Situations such as this is bound to
throw up scapegoats, who are made the sacrificial lambs to camouflage and brush
under the carpet, failure on the part of those who are mandated to
constructively deliver and are de jure accountable. The Lt Governor of Delhi,
the Chief Minister of Delhi, the Home Minister, the Home Secretary, the Police
Commissioner and others are some of those who are directly in the line of fire
for the eventuality. And the best these authorities can do is to close down
eight metro stations, not allow buses carrying supporters for the cause and
coming from outside into Delhi, the police discarding the principle of using
minimum force against those present,
using water cannons and tear gas shells against non violent protesters etc . What
a shame! Not only this. The blame game has already started with Mrs Sheila
Dixit, the Chief Minister of Delhi passing the buck for the lapses on to the lap
of the Lt Governor, Delhi.
The people of the country and especially its youth
will be well advised to continue with their agitation under a well defined and articulated
strategy that, becomes a stepping stone for an all encompassing revolution
against the political system within the country. People like Arvind Kejriwal,
General (retd) VK Singh, Kiran Bedi, Shiv Khera, Sisodia, Shobha De, Anupam Kher
and a host of respected citizens who distinguish themselves by their thought
and vision and the youth identifies with and respects, must chalk out the
blueprint for the long haul of public resentment against the political class. It
will be a long winter and we must prepare ourselves for this opportunity to
cleanse national politics of its muck and human garbage. Not only should the
people vote against incumbency in Delhi and the Centre, but also apply
themselves to a change of the political system in the impending future. We as a
Nation must boycott the farce of participating in and celebrating the Republic
and Independence Days and cock a snook at the political leadership of the
country by ostracizing it completely from our hearts and minds. Let the RAJPATH
become a piece of artefact, which does not reverberate with the applause and
cheers of the people who assemble there to witness the grandeur of India. Let the
ramparts of the Red Fort look down upon empty and vacant lawns that are
otherwise stacked by children, who wait upon their Prime Minister to splutter a
bagful of rhetoric put together by his advisers and ghost writers. This is the
sentiment that must get endorsed and validated in a show of the people’s despondency
with their political leadership, which has incessantly raped MOTHER INDIA.
Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal
+919410900051
No comments:
Post a Comment