Another incident is the drama we have seen in Karnataka since the past two weeks. Here the powerful cartel of the Reddy brothers who have huge mining interests in the state held the government to ranson by demanding the removal of the CM and some other ministers and officials. After a lot of natak, some semblance of peace has been restored but the people of the flood-ravaged North Karnataka were helpless and left waiting for much needed relief and rehabilitation in the interim. The CM may have his flaws but he was working very actively to alleviate the suffering of these poor people. All that has been undone with the political bickering and infighting. It is so frustrating that people’s mandate and their wellbeing is ignored time and again and these politicians for the sake of their power games would not hesitate in horse trading and joining hands with just about anyone to achieve what they desire. I sometimes wonder what is the big democracy we keep thumping our chests about? These politicians twist and turn people’s mandate by buying support of MLAs with the help of ill-begotten wealth. Politics has become a dhanda where there is a race to amass more and more of public wealth. It is also a family business these days with the good-for-nothing relatives like daughters-in-law, brothers, sisters etc. entering the fray all the time. And what can the hapless electorate do – just sit and watch and fume.
Just when we feel that we have seen the worst in terms of political goondaism, there comes a new episode even more outrageous. I am referring to the beating up of SP MLA by MNS MLAs in Maharashtra Assembly. Though Mr. Azmi himself is not a very credible politician always predisposed to provocative statememts, beating him for taking his oath in Hindi is taking things too far. There is no point in even debating how Indian Constitution recognizes most languages as official and the right to speak or transact in a certain language. The point is whether that right is upheld. When no action is taken against the goons of Mr. Raj Thackeray for propagating hatred in the name of language, they obviously feel emboldened to take this goondaism a step further – right inside the Legislature. I feel the suspension of MLAs, though a well-deserved punishment ends up punishing the electorate in these constituencies. These MLAs should have been expelled. The incompetent Maharashtra government will just stay mute spectators when an innocent Indian on the streets gets beaten up simply because he speaks in a particular language!
When I heard about this in my office canteen, i though it to be something related to North Indian or something..
But later read @CNN that RAJ Thakrey Asked every MAL to take oath in Marathi as HIndi is not the National Language of Marathis I was shocked at the lines and words he used…
You are now on my must read list
keep on penning
Bhupesh
Well, I am not shocked any more about what Mr. Thackeray says or does but he is surely plunging new depths these days.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for your encouraging words.
This kind of precedence is unhealthy for our democracy. We are obliged to abide by the constitution. And at the same, we witness such unconstitutional behaviours. This is not the matter of MNS MLAs beating Samajvadi MLA. Or vice versa. This is the decorum of the MLAs of the biggest democracy in the world that comes under flak. The proprieties of our electoral procedures end when the results come out. But then begin other obligations and set of rules. Our democratic credentials seem to erode one by one. Ideological differences should never transgress the boundary of tolerance.
@Prem You are totally right and I couldn’t agree more that MLAs and MPs should know how to uphold the decorum of the house and their posts. There will be differences of opinions all along but they must know how to handle that in a civil manner. I think because they know that they can get away scotfree by doing such goondaism on the streets, in the House and in your and mine faces is what emboldens them. Every time any person breaks a law there must a severe and swift punishment. That is the only way to curtail this behavior IMO.