Can you hear her gasping?
The slow death of India’s democratic traditions.
Greetings, reader.
I do apologise for this post. Like you, I too, value the comfort of routine, the security of familiarity, the peace of repetition. But what better a day, than this languid, lazy Sunday evening, for us to have a chat, for me to try and jolt you out of your slumber?
Even now, I have my doubts, about what I am to say, to you, dear reader. For there are people, in the highest corridors of power, who’d brook no trespasses on their conduct; who’d not have qualms about stifling free thought. Why, you may ask? I’ll tell you why. Because, as a rather famous revolutionary once said — in whose fictional memory I dedicate this post:
Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and, for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there?
Since the general elections a month ago, and the ascension of Mr. Modi to the Prime Ministerialship, there has been a lot of noise, about his non-secular past, as well as his gray record on constitutional rights. I’m not concerned with any of that, today. What I am concerned about, and what I shall talk about, is what I see. And what do I see, dear reader? I see a country that has elected a leadership which will gladly muzzle the same people who gave them power, to suit its purposes.
During the last few days of campaigning, and on the day of the results, an engineer in the state of Goa, circulated posts that allegedly stated that Mr. Modi’s coming would lead to a bloodbath. This gentleman is then arrested. Of course, now he says his comments were meant for someone else. But we know different, don’t we?
Next, a college in the southern state of Kerala. A group of students compare Modi with Bush and Hitler, in their college magazine. Granted, that was an extreme comparison. But at the end of the day, it’s free speech. Everybody compares their leaders with dictators, all around the world. Do they get into trouble for it? No. But here, not only are the students in trouble, so is the principal of the college, for having allowed it.
A question here. When people said all sorts of things, a lot of them vile beyond limits, about the previous PM, why wasn’t anybody arrested and charged with sedition, or the other idiotic offenses people are being charged with now? In that case, more than half the country would have been behind bars. Why now?
And then, the FYUP controversy. Personally, while I believe the four-year undergrad program for Delhi University was implemented in a very shoddy manner(what else can one expect from them?!), I also believe the concept of a four-year program is something sorely needed, if we want to raise educational standards in India to global levels. But no. While the DU administration wished to go ahead with FYUP(I’m not certain if they were willing to make amendments to it, although news reports do suggest that.), the government, represented here by the University Grants Commission, obviously blocked it. So did the various student unions, that are part of major political parties. And thus, the university was forced to back down. But that isn’t what bothers me much; what bothers me more, is that the government shut down 3 subway stations, in order to block any possible protests. So, not only is my right to free speech being trampled upon, my right to travel anywhere in the country, is being kicked aside too. And mind you, these are rights guaranteed to my by the Constitution of the Indian Republic; the very same Constitution Mr. Modi has sworn to upheld.
Mr. Modi won with a huge, historic mandate; obviously, his supporters are by the hundreds of thousands. Whenever I, or anyone else has raised this concern — well, to say we quickly get shouted down, would be a massive understatement. “Oh, but it serves them right, they can’t say whatever they want.”, or “Oh, it’s just one incident.”. No. If you look at all of these incidents, and many more, what you see, is a pattern. I love mathematics, but you don’t need to, to see that terrifying pattern. I have my rights too. And if I’m not allowed to exercise them, if the people aren’t allowed to exercise them, then what’s the point of having a Constitution? Let’s burn it.
Mr. Modi. I’m certain you’ll never come around to read this, but I’ll say what I’d like to say, all the same. You, sir, aren’t someone I’d have voted for. But the people have voted for you, and in the spirit of democracy, I respect the mandate that has given you a chance to make or break this country. You, sir, swore to uphold the principles behind the Constitution of the Indian Republic, and it is extremely worrisome to come across flagrant violations of our basic rights to free speech. I would presume that your goal is to bring governance to the people. But these violations, you’d agree, are starting to bring in doubts about your intentions. It would be prudent for such violations to stop, for they erode the foundations of our democratic polity, the polity of the world’s largest democracy.
Again, in the words of this very famous fictional revolutionary:
“...but if you see what I see, if you feel what I feel, then I suggest you think upon what I said, ponder upon it. I suggest you stand up for your rights, because the people must never, ever be afraid of their governments; governments must be afraid of their people.”
Thank you, reader. Your lazy, languid Sunday may be ruined, but maybe, just maybe, it might lead to some good. And for that, I apologise, and I thank you.
