Scores sacrificed their lives while others suffered years of incarceration to establish India a Sovereign Democracy. Freedom struggle against British Rule comprised of two kind of agitation one non-violent and other revolutionary. Affluent struggled by devoting their wealth while many devoted themselves. Suffering all kinds of tortures and difficulties, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tricolors of independent India on the ramparts of Red Fort on 15th August 1947. He retained the democratic institutions as pride of the Nation and Nehru is considered ultra democratic where the open opposition by the members of his party were publicly appreciated and the critics who columned against Nehru and the cartoonists who satired him were honoured. He laid the foundation of the tradition of non interference in democratic institutions. Now the situation is different when those exposing the truth are conspired against and scuttled and intrigues are at play to browbeat and leash the media and media persons and those who do not toe their line stare the face of death.
They are falsely implicated in cases and are threatened by the investigating agencies. Resultantly most of the Medias are prostrating before the ruling dispensation. Those Constitutional institutions which are bestowed with the sacred solemn duty of ensuring the rule of law, effecting transparent elections and establishing a democratic State, seemingly are involved in corruption and misconduct.
Nation has fondled even the children poorest of the poor whether he may be Lal Bhadur Shastri or Chaudhry Charan Singh or Narendra Modi or Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam or may he be Giani Zail Singh who attained the supreme pedestals of the Nation paving the path for all the poor, dalits and those from minority communities to reach to the top. Youth belonging to ordinary households have been employed in public services. When such people reach the top posts they are expected to strengthen the democratic foundations and definitely democracy had been strengthened, but what has transpired in the last few years is plunging democracy in worsening conditions.
Things have pitted to such a dismal that the leaders of the ruling dispensation consider democracy as their biggest enemy which might be the reason that policies, to scuttle the same democracy, by using which they reached the top posts, are being laid out. Nowadays we are witnessing the injustice of judiciary, the breach of decorum by Election Commission and the wiping of the spillages left behind by the rulers by the bureaucracy and the setting of their agendas by the media. It is now being inquired as to which party and media one belongs to which is resulting in the erosion of their credibility and the same is not viewed respectfully by the aware citizens of the country. In this era of selfies people being selfish only look for their interests and the Government is working for its self interest rather than for public interest. Relations are also viewed through the prism of profit and loss statement. Politicians in order to paint a humble picture rally around their family elders and later on the elders are forgotten.
Our country has seen the Magadh Empire and the Mughal aristocracy and the era of Mahabharata as well as of the British Rule and the democratic Nehruvian era as well as Indira’s emergency. We have witnessed the intelligent and a humble Prime Minister like Lal Bhadur Shastri and also the smart branded Narendra Modi. We have seen a farmer Chaudhary Charan Singh and a businessmen Moraji Desai. We have seen the Vedic Sanatan Nation as well as our radically Hindutava transforming country. We have seen the era of communal harmony as well as the hatred seeping in.
What has happened to our democracy for which scores of our ancestors had sacrificed their lives many more suffered torture. Has democracy been polluted? These questions do arise when thousands of citizens who are the torch bearers of democracy are implicated in false cases ranging from sedition to promoting communal hatred and when the properties of the protestors are forfeited. Youth the future of the country are lodged in jails and the daughters are meted out with inhumane treatment and those demanding for their rights are cane charged and implicated in cases. And women are disrobed amidst the clarion of women empowerment and the citizens, scared, watch all this acting as Dhritrastra and the elected representatives ruling at the top wear the silence of Bhisma Pitamah.
As of now the news of the phones of many amongst judiciary to the ruling dispensation and opposition to media persons being tapped is common. Farmers are distressed to hold a parliament under the shadows of police just a few meters away from the parliament House while the political leaders are slugfesting for power and designations. Those raising the grievances of the common man are facing lathis and detentions. In this era of unemployment and inflation scores of people are committing suicides. Despite lakhs of people dying for want of proper medicines and oxygen, government states that none has such died. Judiciary washes off its responsibility by addressing that the sedition laws were for the colonial era and same should not be misused.
It cannot provide treatment to the patients and help to the needy. Section 144 has turned into Achilles heel for scuttling democracy which is being implemented ordinarily and not is special circumstances, which suits the ruling dispensation. Those talking of tolerance, communal harmony, secularism and intellect are branded as anti social. Leaders hailing from the families of the poor, Dalit and the weak are busy establishing the empires of the rich and the corporate. Nation’s borders are still insecure despite purchasing ordnance worth trillions and votes are garnered highlighting this fear. Labeling the democratic principled ideology of Gandhi and Nehru as faulty, the policy of Hitler is glorified. The question which arises in such circumstances is where are we headed for?
We have seen empires crumbling and waning and fading away of the mighty kings and have seen tall leaders waiting for death on their hospital beds. After witnessing all these, we still are adopting the divisive policies instead of strengthening democracy and augmenting humanity? Why we are not according the freedom for leading one’s life as one pleases? Why don’t we ingrain the Indian Constitution in our hearts? When we act in a direction opposite to the essence of our Constitution then the same is in the directions of flaying democracy. We feel proud to claim the honor of being the world’s largest democracy but we instead of protecting it adopt selfish policies which are detrimental to democracy. Till there is a honest step to strive in this direction democracy shall die a hundred deaths and humanity shall remain tormented. Revolutions are brewed in such times, which is liable to turn us into a troubled Nation of majorities.
