The hollowness of the claims of 'mother of democracy' and 'Vishwaguru' are already known to India. To counter every criticism coming from abroad, you make loud noise about 'democracy' and 'institutions' in India but back home you dont have the basic decency to speak to people of a state which is burning. Manipur is burning for the last three months and yet the government is not ready to discuss the issue in all seriousness in the Parliament. What can be more shocking than this that the leaders of the ruling party are competing with each other in using the foul language. Perhaps, the foulest of them will get a place in the Union cabinet. The only quality of most of the ministers in the current regimes is how much can they denigrate and humiliate Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party.
We all have critiqued Congress party for their failure to protect the idea of India but now despite all wrongs of the past, it is the only party which is leading to our hopes by stitching a well deserved political alliance INDIA.
Now, I do believe that merely name will not serve the purpose but if the parties are committed to the basic idea of an Inclusive socialist Democratic India, then we dont care for any other differences which are part of democracy. Why has the BJP rattled so much that the prime minister's used foul language comparing it with Indian Mujahindin or repeatedly suggesting that Congress party formed by a foreigner. Yes, the same foreigner who Narendra Modi love to hug even when he would never even shake hand with an Indian citizen.
The problem with the Sanghis is that despite almost 9 years of their regime which damaged our secular fabric by persistently creating divisions among people and ensuring administration too behave in a partisan way and yet they dont have a happiness or a charm on their faces. They look angry all the time as if they got nothing. The problem with them is that most of them have their vision not bigger than that of a municipal corporation where you can expect some foul language or false symbolism. As they have got into bigger positions, they fear people and none of them enjoy being with people. They have only succeeded on one count which is ensuring all of us cry victimhood. So what will happen when the most powerful communities, those who have oppressed people and communities suddenly enjoy crying victimhood as if independent India has victimised them the most.
The fact is common citizens in any Kingdom cant ask any questions to the rulers. People enjoying democracies in the west are singing songs of happiness for crisis of democracy blaming it to the West without speaking anything about those who want India to be converted into a Kingdom.
I have observed the power leaders who love to speak with people, interact with them and respond to them. You listen to Vladimir Putin and put ten best editors of the Western media with him and at the end see who is impressive. We have seen videos of Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela too. They had the power of arguments.
It is for the first time when I see a neta who want to call himself as 'vishwaguru', has no capacity to face an independent media. Now, he is created a coterie who does not want him to be even coming to Parliament. Narendra Modi does not care for Parliament. Frankly, he does not want to be seen with the ordinary MPs and MLAs. He has become above every one with a King size ego. So, through democracy, India elected a King whose job is to speak when things are going great but never express any regret or sadness for anything because it is not his 'job' to be called to respond to a crisis. I remember an anecdote related to our first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru who used to visit refugee camps in Delhi and other parts of India. One day, a woman caught hold of his collar and asked . What did I get out of the independence'. Nehru was used to such anger and felt many of these things were genuine and yet he responded in his own way, ' The freedom to catch your prime minister by neck and shake him for the answers'. Imagine, this was the man who the Sanghis always proclaimed a prince whose cloths used to be washed in Paris and unaware of Indian culture. Yes, he was 'unaware' of Indian culture that is why he was able to hug every one and gave them dignity like a human being. Nehru made it a point to be in Parliament, listen to the debates there and respond to them. His being in Parliament just enriched the debates.
Compare it with today's aspirants who do not miss a single point during the day to denigrate Nehru, who want to convert India into their fiefdom, claim to represent its culture and yet have rarely spoken when the country was crying. Have we seen, our honorable prime minister ever expressing regret or sharing pain of any one.
The government and its netas don't want to have a genuine debate in Parliament on the condition of the state. A debate in Parliament would have been a healing touch for Manipur and other states who are now feeling completely left out but then for those who enjoy such divisions and polarisation which give them great political dividend, would not like to make an intervention that brings peace in the region. This was Gujarat model where the perpetrators of the crime against humanity justified everything, blamed Delhi media and ultimately compelled rest of the country to follow that. Now, Manipur is following the path of majoritarianism. We have already seen in Assam as what will happen when state become a tool for majoritarianism and vilify minorities for all failures of it and consider them unwanted and an obstacle. The crisis in Manipur is serious challenge to the idea of India and we need to ponder over it, discuss it and give solutions. Even if the state apparatus fails, let us as citizen of the country remain united and do not fall in trap of dividing communities. Unity is the need of the hour. Unity of all people can alone defeat the divisive agenda of those who want to grab Manipur's rich natural resources.
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*Human rights defender
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