Shiban Khaibri
The question is that of propriety and responsibility as to who should sit on “Dharna” against whom and for what. Can the entire episode not appear to be a drama with sub- standard plot and below the average performance, which not only the entire Indian nation watched sadly a few days back but also was mockingly seen by the entire world continuously for three days. It showed an elected Government of one of the constituents of federal India up in arms against the Central Government of the same country? In pure literary analogy, was the entire “thing” a drama or a play since a drama usually is a literary piece in writing meant for performance while a play is meant to be seen or the audience is bound to see the story enacted. It appears the entire “thing” was both a drama as well as a play but whatever it was, it was all unacceptable , untenable, unbecoming and undemocratic.
Corruption , embezzlements, scams, frauds, financial irregularities, unaccounted money etc have all been eating into the vitals of this country post-independence era . How many few scams and illegal kickbacks, frauds etc only come to limelight is anybody’s guess as all such nefarious and deeply detestable acts are committed in utmost secrecy with satanic accuracy and professional criminal dexterity, often leaving behind much less to be caught and punished for. Wherever one gets surfaced and the doers and the kingpin identified and named, the process usually is termed as ” political vendetta and conspiracy”and all adjectives are rained on it like anti democratic, anti constitutional, anti secular, anti people, and whatever the accused ones coin for it . The result is despite corruption and loot having reached alarming levels , they are so deep ingrained and the perpetrators so much hard shelled and powerful, that rules of probity , natural justice, the honest and the able are all humbled , ridiculed and even silenced.
The elementary stage, that of investigations and probing is hamstringed and crippled. Whenever with great difficulty and gathering courage , audacity and grit by an administration backed by a determined dispensation , some action as per law is sought to be initiated against an accused politician , he or she projects oneself as a great personality having done a great job involving abdication, foregoing and lot many sacrifices for the country and immediately ways and means are hunted towards projection of innocence , being “framed and having been implicated” . Chosen friends in media are helpful in creating of a sympathy wave and presenting law enforcing agencies as real villains . The principal of “innocent till proven guilty” should not rattle one to an extent to obfuscate , befuddle and stonewall the investigations into the suspected crime or in other words, one who is really honest and innocent need not be afraid of the CBI, ED, IT or any SIT and similar agencies and if spokes are put in the wheels of the course of law , suspicion is likely to progress into a belief in the minds of the probing agencies that there was enough of black in the lintel.
Can a Police Chief of a state abdicate his duties and sit on Dharna even if encouraged and “ordered” by the Chief Minister in violation of sensitive staff rules? Should as custodian of law, complete cooperation from him not be expected by the CBI team that went to inquire and ask and not arrest or harass anyone, least of all the top cop of Bengal ? Should a small but dutiful job of the CBI have snowballed into fomenting of a constitutional crisis by the supreme executive authority of the state , the Chief Minister embarking on a Dharna protest?. After all, if there is and was nothing like any Sardha Chit funds case , why any worry or panic and even a scare about having it probed into ? Innocence would never get transformed into guilt under a very healthy , transparent and independent judiciary of this country. What for and with what motive were stakes given aboost ? What we saw helplessly for full three days was an avoidable but futile show of “strength” of going the whole hog on a confrontational path with the Central Government and create space enough for lawlessness, provocation to incite mob sensitivities and resultant wastage of resources and asking anarchy to reign supreme.
Who came to lend support to Mamta Banerjee in her “hour of distress” – practically none excepting sworn adversaries and antagonists of Narendra Modi just for the reason that he has to be opposed and support lent to each and every one who was up in arms against him right from those who raised seditious slogans in JNU and Jadavpur Universities down to Award Wapsi Club to Tukday Tukday Gang to Manufacturers of “Democracy and Democratic institutions in danger” to actors of “EVMs faulty” Club to projectors of thieves and looters of public property as “Victims of vendetta” etc etc. She must assess and guesstimate the efficacy of her Dharna politics and playing of melodramas as to why those whom she expected to join her Dharna at Kolkota considered themselves as proverbial square peg in the round hole to invite public dislike and declare open confrontation with the central government and the CBI. They extended telephonic “support” or through TV Channels and beyond that, nothing. The question is as to should Sardha and Rose Valley chit fund scams whereby hundreds of thousands of innocent people were duped and waylaid, be not investigated especially when the fraud of whooping amount had alleged political links and should it face obstructions and humps in a manner never heard or witnessed so far? Roughing up the investigating team and even “arresting” them not only depicts hegemonic despotic approach but is anti-Federalwhile feigning lot of concern to nurse and strengthen Federalism itself. Such an adamant and tenacious behaviour is nothing but portending and harbingering of breakdown of laws and norms of accountability as well as not containing political corruption which has brought democracy and politics down to plummeting “esteem” in the eyes of the people.
After all, the CBI team had gone to Kolkata to comply with the orders of the Supreme Court, agreed not earlier when it should have started thorough investigations but to subject them to such a treatment and then sit on DharnaPolitics looks strange but not unexpected looking to some politicians going to any extent , any limit to find an exit route to save skin and seat and to level unfounded, manufactured and hunted charges backed by some “friendly and like minded” media persons who are otherwise antagonistically positioned and nurse dislike against the Government in power. It may be the instance of publishing a doctored and craftily edited official document regarding purchasing fighter aircraft to arm the opposition parties to run tirades and spread canards with an eye on 2019 elections which could be called not only un-journalistic but undemocratic and unethical as well when on the other hand, theatrics are played in the shape of hullabaloo and outcry about “free speech muzzled”, “Media and dissent” under threat and “institutions threatened”. Truth and fair play becoming casualties and humbled enormously in this country is a matter of concern but are tantamount to building up of the pressure of volcano to burst in future without forewarning.
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