Shiban Khaibri
” You do not write your life with words
you write it with actions , what you think
is not important , it is only important what you do ..”
Do not we just for formality sake preach that law should take its own course just like we keep on saying that corruption is the root cause of all evils and must be rooted out ? In fact, when the law takes its course, some people particularly rather exclusively related to the politics, cry hoarse and play victim card. They usually resort to protests by indulging in complete mayhem on roads putting thousands of people to lot of inconvenience and troubles. What is the logic behind organising black dressed protests , black tapes on mouths with funnily locks on them to convey what is beyond comprehension . We have seen a strange but totally unwarranted response from the members of the respective political parties whose few leaders suspected and even charged of corruption were required to visit the offices of the investigating agencies by organising protests alleging political bias , vendetta and ”gagging of voices of dissent” and all the harsh criticism of the Prime Minister. Not only that, we have seen politics plummeting to such levels so as to hold protests outside the courts for demanding release of the jailed ”leaders” . Should as a matter of propriety and regard for the judiciary, members of any political party protest outside courts which is tantamount to rather influencing the impartial functioning of courts ?
Similarly Raj Ghat , on the other hand , has now become a spot to feign total compliance of the ”values” Gandhi Ji is known to have stood for by momentarily and symbolically visiting Raj Ghat and sitting cross legged in a dramatic way for a few minutes when for example for invoking his blessings to get clean in the case of the alleged liquor – gate while he was vehemently throughout his life against consuming, selling and making liquor . Satyagrah in modern era has become completely obsolete as it had its relevance during the days when Gandhi Ji started it for the first time in 1917 as a fallout of a farmers’ uprising which took place in Bihar’s Champaran district during the absolute colonial period of the British. A congress leader very recently, however, distorted the history about it when she said that Gandhi Ji had launched ”Satyagrah for the first time from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and in 1931″. Anyway, Gandhi Ji’s Satyagrah had its aim, purpose, message, focus, direction and object during those days. How come a complaint filed by an aggrieved individual in a court , judgment given by the court, subsequent disqualification of the convict MP of a political party having got anything to do with Raj Ghat and holding protest there and parking all blame on the Prime Minister of the country ? Raj Ghat, therefore, should not be turned into a rallying point against the Prime Minister because he has vowed to take on the fight against corruption and the issue of corruption becoming a connecting chord between some political parties is really unfortunate for this country. The countrymen have to resolutely decide whether corruption as such needs to be legitimised and rather made permissible in law as the impression is given by protests and a sort of tirade against the Prime Minister for what is said ”misusing the agencies against political opponents” to rather keep such investigating agencies from performing their duties – for doing what actually these agencies have been set up for. Our judiciary decides about such matters based only on cogent facts, concrete material and convincing proofs . Convictions and acquittals do take place based only on concrete material and then there are higher courts for preferring appeals against judgments of lower courts .What is the fuss and tamasha, therefore, all about this farce of playing victimhood and projecting so called political vendetta ?
Should , therefore, protests take place against the law taking its own course in a case where a section of the society bearing a particular surname was insulted . Gandhi Ji had advised for admitting a mistake when one commits it and subsequently correcting it , expressing regrets and going in for a sort of atonement . In other words, when the Honb’le judge in Surat, while disposing of a case of criminal defamation had asked Rahul Gandhi if he would apologise ,what point was there in showing adamancy and not doing so in spite of the court repeatedly asking him to do so. Who had advised Rahul Ji not to apologise is not a very simple matter as the one or ones giving such advice must have been adequately knowing the grave results thereof. The inevitable, therefore, had to happen and the court awarded the sentence of two years resulting in the Wayanad MP’s immediate disqualification from the Lok Sabha. Not only that, if the conviction and the sentence are not appealed against in higher courts and if relief is not granted , Rahul Ji in future cannot fight any election for six years after the term of the sentence. And it is not the only such case in the country as it was ruled in 2013 that as soon as one (politician) gets a sentence of or more than two years, automatically his or her membership is disqualified, it is , therefore, futile to cry foul over why ”hurriedly disqualification was notified” as even if hypothetically the LS Secretariat would have not issued the notification , the MP stood disqualified automatically the moment the sentence was pronounced by the court. It is intriguing that the Congress Party has still not preferred an appeal against the verdict probably for two reasons as it did in the case of Pawan Khera etc and within a few hours only despite having a galaxy of country’s best lawyers..
One-the party wants to play a victim card of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification and expects to reap some harvest of sympathy breeze if not a wave hence votes, immediately in Karnataka followed by in Rajasthan elections and decidedly then in 2024 as well. Since those parties that hitherto kept a distance from the Congress in mobilising an anti Modi front have shown momentary solidarity with the Congress , glimmer of hopes have started sprouting in the Party. Two – it is believed that there could be a section within the Party which sincerely wanted a revamp which perhaps Rahul Ji would not agree . It could also be only a speculation as despite his short term political dormancy he still has his firm say in the Party. On the other hand, dissent of G-23 from within cannot be taken granted for having come to terms though two stalwarts from the list have left the Party. Whether the country is fast transforming under the leadership of Narendra Modi and whether a strong roadmap having been laid down by him for the country’s all round development the tremendous results of which will be visible to all in the next decade like things appear to be of no interest to the opposition parties whose one point programme and the rallying cause inter-se is ”How to defeat Modi Ji in 2024” . It is stunning to watch that the only burning problem and the great issue before them is ”Modi Hatao”. Various attempts for cobbling a joint front are being made for the purpose although it still remains a million Dollar question as to who shall be the Prime Ministerial candidate projected by such a Front / Ghatbandhan.
Adani issue , the JPC issue etc are just a ruse if not alibi as the real motive is to keep Parliament in a state of confusion and ensuring that ”No Work ” or any business got transacted. It is true of not only the current Budget session but we have been seeing frequent disruptions, storming in the well , holding and displaying placards inside the House almost in each session. Still democracy is being seen as ”under threat” or even ”murdered” . Speakers from all political parties speak and debate in the Parliament as can be fact checked but the tirade is that “We are not allowed to speak ” and “Our mikes are silenced”, “Democracy is murdered and voices are stifled” and yet such politicians visit Raj Ghat with such ”truths” to protest.
Congress Party or for that matter any political party, must squarely bear this fact in mind that their (individual) problems are not the problems of the country and while giving vent to one’s feelings consequent upon a court verdict , the reverend dead should not be insulted. Why should , therefore, Rahul Gandhi usually refer to great freedom fighter, thinker, philosopher, writer and Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar in a demeaning way. Knowing and being a Savarkar means a wholesale commitment , sacrifice, vision, knowledge, patriotism, love for human values and fight for the truth . ”I am not Savarkar, maafi nahin mangoonga” depicts absolute arrogance and disrespecting an icon who is revered by millions of the people in the country. Besides, every religion, civilization and tradition teaches the mankind never ever to insult , scorn, mock or disparage the one who is no more in this world even if he was your enemy. That in the burst of emotions or pleasing some vote Bank , any political leader insulting the dead and that too repeatedly is totally unwarranted and motivated. By the way, can Rahul Ji cite one example of any Congress leader having undergone even one fourth of the torture and imprisonment ,the confinement in a solitary cell, yoking for oil extraction while in chains and having been awarded life terms of imprisonments of 50 years and moved to the most dreaded and infamous “Kaala Paani” or the Cellular Jail in Andaman Nicobar by the British? Gone are the days when history was routinely thrust on Indians in distorted and motivated form and therefore, iconic figures should not be insulted and demeaned.
Follow our WhatsApp channel