Yesterday in part 1 of this post, we have said how the spectre of emergency and present action of Mumbai police and state govt under Udhav Thackeray has tried to throttle democracy. We have also given our quote , Democracy is not for the faint hearted. In this post i.e part 2 we will take the rational ahead and will try to demonstrate that why its utmost necessary and important for all the citizens at least the educated and well off) to take part in a democratic system else we will never achieve the correct democratic system.
In the present democratic system of the country the more powerful both muscle as well as money wise are getting a bigger share in the say. As one looks down we find that the gap increases exponentially and the marginalised communities are not reaping any benefits. take the Dalits, the OBCs and other backward classes across the nation and one will understand what we mean. In other words democracy has been totally hijacked by the people in power and their cronies in some way.
The case of Shivsena in Maharashtra is an apt example of this malady. The power behind Shivsena comes from their street style mafia way of conduct providing protection to all vendors for a Fee (Hafta). Besides, if you are a Shivsainik you get certain priority over others. The same person then comes to your rally and creates a mess whenever their masters need them. This is what happened in Maharashtra, West Bengal for decades under CPI(M) rule and is also happening in Kerala under Pinarai Vijayan which all have become states resembling organised crime or mafia.
It’s not that only the state government is behind such blatant misuse of power. The central government under congress made a total mess of democracy. It made democracy even more lopsided skewed where the loot was available to anyone who just had the right connections. For example Bajaj made the scooters where the waiting went up to six months and more while killing competition and open economy.
The nation failed in the absence of a proper system with rules and regulations to make democracy strong. As a result there was uneven, irregular, bumpy, unequal and a lumpy kind of governance which allowed haphazard growth. Corruption became a norm rather than exception. People became more interested to have easy money than working hard. Private companies were made to fight for government clearances. Schools and colleges became big businesses. The population increased exponentially in some places and so places of worship or the majars and kabaristans mushroomed. Namaz are being offered on road side ignoring traffic laws and care for others. The loudspeakers start yelling from all sides. Everything is available for a fee.
In short if one has the money then there are no rules for you while if you are a common man every rule and law holds for you. It was a free for all kind of system where no one was bothered about the nation and how it can cope with such an irregular model. We don’t wish to target a particular community but they represent some of the gross pattern that was visible to all but also ignored and was allowed to pass and is still being allowed. Religious conversions was also something that has posed danger to our nation and has been allowed. Political parties like TMC, RJD, Samajwadis, and many others took it to next level making a complete mockery of democracy while the people were busy in their on schedules.
This also failed because most citizens remained mute observers allowing this model to grow without protests or active participation. The leadership of political parties failed to get these people on the street against this impractical and uneven model of democracy and growth. The majority class i.e. the Hindus failed to realise that democracy is not for the idle complacent citizen but for the most proactive and the initiator. It’s not for the faint hearted but for the fighter and the warriors.
The journalism practiced by Arnab Goswami and his channel Republic is a classic example of this pro-activism that is very much needed for any democracy not only to grow but also to survive.
Democracy is not for the lethargic and the complacent. See our municipal corporations and the unhygienic conditions . Check our road infrastructures and cleanliness. Check our parks and other social utilities. They all are crying and telling their stories. It’s a pathetic state of affairs where the public servants looted while the citizens just slept never caring for what is happening around. The mantra was if you are in power and a position to collect illegal money just do it and forget the rest.
This free for all corruption and malpractices have left us today into a naked nation. We don’t deserve democracy by any standards because we are simply not tuned towards it. When each of us becomes active and partakes in discussions and voices his/her opinion, even coming on streets and protesting against all the illegal things and malpractices from the corporations to the big policy debates only then we will deserve the true democracy.
To sum up democracy is neither for the coward nor for the complacent. It is for the fearless who is willing to fight for his/her tights and true causes. It is not for the introvert but for the extrovert who can stand up and tell the government or an officer what is correct. Because that is the right democracy provides you unlike authoritarian. Snd if one does not exercise that right then democracy is no more than an autocratic rule like what is happening in the state of Maharashtra.
End of part 2. The final concluding post will be published soon.
Part 1 can be read here: http://samanvaya.org.in/arnab-special-part-1-democracy-is-not-for-the-faint-hearted-we-have-not-learnt-lessons-from-emergency-why-the-sc-order-to-release-arnab-is-important/
Dr Asheesh Shah
Samanvaya
Http://www.samanvaya.org.in
