Shiban Khaibri
The dreamt gold, the much talked gold, the much hoped gold, the ready reckon-or of instant solutions to economic woes of the country- the gold, proved all elusive. The question is as to how can a mere dream of an individual turn official and drive the government and its machinery swing into action in whatsoever way. The question is again as to how could a “secular” government at the centre as well as its “secular” ally at Lucknow, both believe and act, at the dream of a Hindu seer and put state machinery at work to excavate the yellow malleable metal from the ancient fort of Raja Ram Baksh in a village Daundiya Kheda in UP’s Unnao district? How can the “secularists” like this, contradict their own brand of secularism and imperil the democracy? One Om Ji , a disciple of the seer Shoban Sarkar having been an active member of the Congress party could, therefore, succeed in convincing the Union Minister Charan Dass Mehant to arrange excavation of the site for hunting gold and taking it out of the bosom of the earth to make government coffers richer. The Archeological Survey of India, as per reports, after a hard labour of 15 days’ digging, finally decided to call it a day and wrap up its tools and equipment and thus not bring any cheer on the faces of those who would have been busy calculating how much would 1000 tones of the high cost metal fetch to the government at the rate of Rs.320 crore a ton. It could have come as a windfall, as a divine boon , as an unexpected non refundable aid to tide over the economic problems – of high spiraling inflation, of lowering to the barest minimum the current account deficit , a substitute of direct foreign investment to boost the growth rate and employment. In Shakespearian words, “There is thy gold, worse poison to men’s souls…….” , hunt for it at Daundiya Kheda could at best prove an ad- hoc fortune for a few villagers who set up a make shift market of jaleebis, pan and pan masala, tea, cigarettes bidi etc to cater to an unexpected large number of curious visitors eager to have the access to the spectacle of the hunted treasure. If it would not have been the elusive gold, who would otherwise have bothered to visit the village reeling under economic backwardness, to relish hard core “desi” jaleebis and “chats” etc by chance and not by choice? It could not fructify as according to the considered view – if dreams would come true, then non performers and idlers could keep on dreaming, even day dreaming and not open their eyes and exert their hands to the realities and the situations around, calling loud and hoarse, for taking decisions and finding solutions. Solutions to the problems facing the people and the nation have, more often than not, remained conspicuously in hiccups; instead, as usual only promises are made. Now new element has been added to the contours of polity in the shape of planting fears in select sections of the Indian people about impending fascism and communalism in the country from those who say that they could comparatively deliver better if voted to power. Fears of “secularism being in danger” and keeping main political opponents tagged as non secular and communal elements, and thus perpetually in ill fame, are currently the cover roofs of shelter to most of the UPA2 leaders as also a cause, if not a brazen alibi, to the 5 year meet or a congregation or sitting in a transit camp etc; of what they call the Third Front. In the din, the real problems remain unanswered, queries remain unexplained, doubts remain unclear-d and allegations remain unproven, all at the cost of the interests of the common man.
Could any of these leaders explain as to under which unknown mechanism Paise 50 or Re 1 being purchase price of a kilo of onion can travel from an onion growing farmer to the common household’s kitchen crash landing at Rs.80 a kilo? Can anyone, therefore, tell us who bags the whooping difference of Rs. 79 in the process? If reports are to be believed, an ally of the ruling UPA 2 has bulk of such traders affiliated in one way or the other to it and a few of them in Nasik Maharashtra boasted about such “commercial feats” before a spy camera planted by one of the leading TV Channels. The other findings of the onion loot, rather onion extortion are too shocking and clumsy to be mentioned. Taking another example of sheer carelessness and a very casual approach to the recent Patna blasts on the day the massive rally was to be addressed by Narendra Modi, it has put a question mark on political proprietorship. The Union government says that it sent the specific inputs about the likely terror violence to the Bihar government but the state government refuses it got any. The Police chief of Gujarat says that he personally conveyed to his Bihar counterpart about the information. Serial bomb blasts on Oct27 killed as many as seven people and injured over 80. The Home Minister who is in charge of the law and order of the country ” kept his date” with the makers of the Hindi film – Rajjo, on the very day of serial blasts. The film, as per reports, has been produced by one of the known persons of the Home Minister also hailing from his native village in Maharashtra. During the event at a luxurious Hotel, the Home Minister launched the music of the film and posed for photographs. He was asked about the nature of his priorities to which he gave evasive answers. Salman Khursheed , the External Affairs Minister came to Shinday’s help by saying, ” he has also a personal life beyond Patna.” The two sounds mismatched — the one of the blasts and the other of the filmy music.
What, if on compassionate grounds Sushil Kumar Shindey could have avoided going to Mumbai for attending the music launch and instead gone to Patna to enquire about the medical treatment and providing some succor to the injured and to the families of those who got killed because the state government did not care to prevent the terror attack and took the assemblage of nearly seven lac people as a thing worth ignoring. Worst more, the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not think it feasible to even enquire about the injured in the hospitals not to speak of visiting the families of those who had got killed in the rally. Was it a punishment awarded to them for attending a rally addressed by a leader of mass appeal though critical of the central and the state governments, which is a guaranteed right under the democratic system of the country? Who shall be held accountable and responsible for what happened at Patna and what response the state government made to the information provided by the central government about the impending terror attacks? The reports that on Oct 1, 2013, the I.B had provided the information to all the states, including the DG of Bihar, about the Indian Mujahideen planning to attack a few cities takes the cat out of the bag. Then on Oct 23 IB specially is said to have informed the Bihar Police that the Patna rally could be attacked but at the venue- the Gandhi Maidan, neither were there any metal detectors nor jamming devices and nor proper frisking of those attending the rally. The political dispensation at Patna which is likely to be the companions of the ruling Congress at the centre could therefore hardly get any uncomfortable questions the way Madhya Pradesh government got for the temple stampede early this month. Can people not see through the trick, a brazen ploy and political unwieldiness indulged in by the state government under full patronage of the central government? Can it strengthen the democratic values and principles in the country? The handling of the situation by the organizers of the rally deserve all the praises for telling people about the blasts as being crackers so as not to create fear, mess, confusion and stampede resulting in massive loss of lives. That, not a minor incident of any lawlessness indulged in by the public speaks for the extreme positive and peaceful response shown by the public to Modi’s call to disperse peacefully and in order. The fight against the menace of terror has apparently lost its sheen and edge by the ugly vote bank politics in Bihar. Let Indian polity not plummet any more, let fair play and ethics be given some space in the Indian politics otherwise an epitaph of our democracy shall not be very far off to be found properly worded and sincerely recorded.
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