ON CROSSROADS
After more than 77 years of the nation’s freedom,is it not very distressing to find the parliamentary democracy of India in doldrums? For the past quite sometime,” We the people of India…” indeed have been facing the music because those at the helm of affairs of nation with the leitmotif of clinging to power endlessly have slipped the nation into the deep ditch of unilateralism,lies,whims,optics, tokenism and rhetorical spins ultimately to pave way in a veiled manner for a theocratic state to spring up. After a life of more than seven decades,”India-the mother of democracy” drum beaten on home turf and foreign soil every now and then instead of getting maturer and stronger ironically appears to be on its last legs.
A bird’s eye view on the events of over a decade or so bears testimony to the fact that there have been blatant, brazen attempts as well as moves off and on to throw the democratic,federal and constitutional spirit to winds with impunity treating the will of people with sheer contempt and megalomania.Does not Abraham Lincoln’s passionately cherished tenet, “Democracy is a government of the people,for the people and by the people” stands badly torn asunder. Recently on November 26, nation did commemorate 75 years of the adoption of Constitution but where is the spirit,will harping on just dramatics serve the purpose?
In a vibrant democracy– the free, fair, fearless,polls then objective, independent and impartial functioning of the organs of the state-executive, legislature and judiciary alongwith fourth estate are the bedrock of any democracy.Barring only few exceptions all is not at all well with the functioning of all these pillars of democracy.For want of embracing time honoured values of selflessness, ethics, cohesion, coordination and harmony on the part of polity in the best interests of the nation,there is no love lost among these.There is no room for utilising even up to minimum extent possible the fine traits of collective wisdom, consensus, logic,expertise and talent simply because of the “My Way High Way”factor reigning supreme in the scheme of things of “the powers that be”.So much so various autonomous institutions too wilting under pressure leave no stone unturned to dance to the tunes of their masters.
That is why the time, energies and rich human resources of the nation are being frittered away in futility on good for nothing pursuits.To cite for instance, the unsuccessful attempts to impose Land Acquisition Bill,National Judicial Appointments Commission,Three Farmers Black Bills, Citizen Amendment Act,Uniform Civil Code,One Nation One Poll,needless to mention a plethora of bills and schemes just in the pipeline tending to divert and distract attention of the masses from sensitive and burning issues of the times.
Lot of resentment,unrest,mistrust,stress, uncertainty and disappointment looms large over various sections of the society in India making William Shakespeare’s remark in his popular play”Hamlet” proving quite true, universal and relevant in India’s context “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” The monopoly in toto and expansionist outlook of the autocratic regime is bent upon undermining and subverting recklessly powers of the legislature and judiciary purely in a partisan manner to grind just its own parochial political axe.The constitutional,federal and democratic fabric has been shattered as magnanimity,humility,grace,credibility, integrity and broadmindedness words sounding alien to the ears of those keen to remain in power for pretty long by hook or crook.
No denying the fact that the legislature has recklessly been floating new bills without due deliberations sans bothering to either uphold or honour too the laws already in vogue in abundance.This exercise of the ruling dispensation rolling out new laws without taking the same to their logical conclusion in accordance with constitutional norms is being used time and again as a political weapon to corner opposition,settling scores with it and marking time aiming at down playing and covering up regime’s acts of omission and commission.Then over a decade old track record of legislative business done makes it crystal clear that the laws enacted did not in any manner bring any qualitative change,cheer or improvement in the standards of living of Indian populace.
The judiciary with occasional flickers here and there did not come up to the expectations of the people to deliver natural justice all these years dejecting while adjudicating prayers challenging constitution falling a prey most of the time to obfuscation,glitches and vagaries,favoritism and nepotism.
How amazing to find Dr DY Chandrachud erstwhile CJI making a very irrational revelation while hanging up his boots that he had to invoke God to guide him to decide Ayodhya Lord Rama Temple Title Suit.Do we then need law universities,colleges and academies to groom up jurists ? His two year long CJI stint left too much to be desired mired in many controversies as half baked verdicts on matters questioning and challenging the constitution and law squandering away precious human resources of nation in terms of the time as well as energies resulting in nothing concrete.
The Supreme Court deeming electoral bonds scheme unconstitutional,finding then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s act not justified in calling upon then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to prove his majority in a trust vote on June 30, 2022,which had indeed prompted the then CM to resign.Did not the Eknath Shinde led Maharashtra Government enjoy remaining in power for more than two years because of an unjustified act on the part of Koshyari at the behest of the highest court of law of India?Are these verdicts virtually not an eye wash? Do these verdicts imply anything in stemming the rot prevalent in the system? Why did not the Apex Court take the wrong doers to task as in the case of Chandigarh Mayor Poll too,the Returning Officer Anil Maseeh caught violating election norms on camera? Why to allow ASI survey of Gyanvapi Mosque by throwing Places Of Worship (Special Provisions)Act 1991 to utmost ridicule then ultimately opening a pandora box for Archaeological Survey of India to go in for surveys of Sambhal and other mosques like Idgah Mathura, Ajmer Sharif Dargah so on and so forth? Will this act in any way open floodgates for optimistic and reformative avenues?
Has India that is BHARAT achieved and realised everything as a welfare state that now we shall go in for surveys of mosques to rediscover and rebuild temples?What is the practical meaning of these verdicts ending in nothing but except for the decisions on paper alone? Justice Chandrachud did drum beat “the norm of bail, jail an exception”only in words during hearings doing nothing concrete in this regard.
All these years,the credibility and integrity of the Election Commission of India has been under the deep cloud remaining hotly in the news before and after every poll in India.The conduct of Lok Sabha Polls-2024,Haryana, Jammu Kashmir, Maharashtra, Jharkhand Assembly Polls 2024 and Bypolls narrate a very dismal tale,a sad commentary on the partisan and biased functioning of this constitutional body of India earlier on a role model for many nations of the world.
Never ever in the annals of free India, any poll body became a butt of criticism, distrust and suspicion but the present one to the extreme extent that Congress and Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray rejected poll verdicts in Haryana and Maharashtra alleging too many”ifs” and “buts”in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs),conduct of poll at the booths, counting process etc.What an irony that it did not finalise the poll schedule in Haryana Assembly and bypolls carefully and diligently altering Haryana date from October 01 to 5 and by polls date from November 13 to 20.The EVM functioning during polls-its battery charge alleged percentage to the tune of 99% during counting process pointed towards alleged bungling.
The doubts about voting percentage and total votes polled in 2024 polls and its delayed circulation for days that too in the digital era in public domain has been cause of deep concern to the stakeholders.The model code of conduct too has become only on paper a mocking instrument with its sanctity and solemnity in question all the time.
If 100 percent VVPAT counting is not set in motion in future then demand for going back to ballot paper mode of voting will become shriller.In the past, the INDIA bloc and opposition parties took the malfunctioning of EVMs issue so lightly and casually to make a mockery of themselves.Learning a lesson,now Congress Party has made its intentions clear of launching across the nation a mass movement to take cudgels against EVM voting pattern to return to ballot box voting.India bloc parties now seem to be taking this issue very seriously to strive for right to franchise through ballot.
What to talk of CBI,CVC, Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department, it is an open secret that they swing into action only to take to task opposition party leaders prompted by”the duo” those not falling in their line?Those who stoop to the wishes of the duo get clean tags and chits within no time !
Does the law of the land see everyone with an equal eye?Chief Minister Jharkhand Hemant Soren, Erstwhile Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Sanjay Raut Rajya Sabha MPs are the instances who had to face the onslaught of biased law for their outspoken utterances against the supremo and the regime.The Corporate Tycoon Gautam Adani is the blue eyed boy of “the powers that be”. Despite US Government issuing arrest warrants against him and indicting him for corruption,fraud and conspiracy the clutches of law here in India will not pounce upon him,how much loudly the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi may raise his demand of Adani’s arrest?
Under the patronage of PM Modi and two time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi new norms of breaking political parties and the bulldozer justice respectively have come to the fore.If they make bragging claims of making toilets and houses for poor under PM Awaas Yojna,those stand squarely neutralised on account of bulldozing houses,articles and vehicles illegally despite the Apex Court orders not to take law in their hands.The political discourse and language of the Prime Minister is uncouth and uncalled for many a times not behoving a man of the stature of PM for instance- muzra, mangal sutra, buffalos,taps,mutton and expressions “zameen chura ke le jayengen” and “betiyon ko chheen ke le jayenge”.Modi’s slogan “Ek Hein To Safe Hein” and Yogi’s” Battengen To Katengen” unduly create scare and panic among citizens of India as if across the border threats and clouds of danger are overcasting our nation’s skies.Very amazing indeed during the current winter session of Parliament on the first day,the three time Prime Minister murmurs : opposition not allowing Parliament to function, should not Modi introspect,why it is so, who is responsible for the same?
It is a writing on the wall that for Modi,BJP and RSS grand old Congress Party is only a serious challenge to his and double combine’s political future.As far as regional parties are concerned,he has made his sinister designs of having opposition free rule in India by way of eliminating them all from the scene completely one by one in the words of BJP Chief Jagat Prakash Nadda once in Patna.The Nationalist Congress Party (both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar),Shiv Sena( both Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde),Janata Dal (United), Janata Dal(Secular)Biju Janata Dal,KC Rao’s BRS,Telgu Desam Party, PDP, Shiromani Akali Dal,TMC,JMM,Lok Jan Shakti all have seen the true colours of Modi led BJP already fallen a prey to its “use and throw” gimmicks to sustain in power.
Will these parties and their heads learn a lesson from the past rising to the occasion or still prefer to live in fools paradise of expanding and enlarging the base and scope of their political outfits and their own in the vacuum? These must seriously ponder over the stark reality whether any one of them of their own at this critical juncture can test Modi’s nerves posing him any sort of challenge at the national level.There lies the real Herculean litmus test to save democracy and then in the long run the nation.
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Contributed by :
Prof PK Sharma Freelance Journalist,
Associate Professor of English(Retired),
Pom Anm Nest,BARNALA(Punjab)
Mobile : 94170-02504