From declared emergency to undeclared emergency
Country is remembering those dark days of emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The very memory of those days is to uphold the significance of democracy. We need to go through this memory only to remind ourselves that the nation needn’t witness those uncertain days again.
Even if the ‘dictator’ is our own, we should follow him like meek sheep. One of the most renowned poets refers to this time in his works and says ‘how does it matter whether the sword was our own or was a foreign one?’ The memory of this phase should encourage us to strengthen the democracy further. There is no point in using this premise to just criticize a particular party.
Indira Gandhi does not signify emergency alone. Her strengths stretch beyond this dark phase too. Her contribution in strengthening India cannot be refuted. Land tenancy act and nationalisation of banks were some bold decisions she took to help the lowest strata of the society. She earned the wrath of the upper castes, rich and powerful in the meantime. If Indira Gandhi is just remembered for emergency alone like the BJP likes to project, why did people bring her back to power with a resounding victory?
It’s a very opportunist politics to project her as the architect of emergency alone, restricting her to Congress party and criticize her alone. It is important to remember the context in which emergency was imposed on the country, and the negative effects it created. Congress and RSS both organisations have reaped rich benefits of this phase. Many reports indicated RSS was also hand in glove with attacks on muslims during this time. The cons should be taken into cognizance in the context of not allowing this phase to repeat again.
Senior most leader of BJP L K Advani who had gone to jail during the dark times, has said in the past that this country is on the threshold of facing another emergency-like situation. He was referring to the current happenings in BJP. Another senior BJP leader who quit the party in Rajasthan, said he would fight against the ‘undeclared emergency’ in the country. BJP ally Shivasena is also speaking the same language. We need to remember during emergency, the freedom of expression was curtailed. Journalists and opposition party leaders were jailed. The people at lowest strata in the society never felt the heat of this time. The upper class people misused this term to their benefit. Muslims were attacked. The poor never understood what exactly was transpiring in the country. Including Karnataka, many states implemented land tenancy act during this time. But one can never defend this highly venomous act against small benefits.
The BJP leaders are criticizing emergency phase in strongest of terms. They must remember what happened in our own country during demonetization. People had to stand in queue before banks and ATMs to draw their own hard earned money. Some even died waiting in these queues. This step had a massive negative effect on rural India and people are still living through the ill effects of this time. Did this make sense in any form? No one can defend this either. Demo led to major benefits to the rich and miseries to the poor. RBI suffered losses. BJP became the richest party. Farmers today cannot sell livestock according to their preference. This situation didn’t exist even during emergency, per se.
Just the way as groups had attacked random people during emergency due to breakdown of law and order, Gau Rakshaks are attacking people and cattle traders. Farmers who care for cattle are victims of higher crimes committed against them. Hence today when we speak, we need to keep in context the new situation that’s almost on par with the old days of emergency. Dark and vulnerable indeed. Journalist Gauri Lankesh was murdered during this time and another media agency NDTV has been under continuous attack for its stance since the recent days. We may well refer to the past, but the new days of almost emergency are here for all of us to see. We need to devise a plan to face this and register out opposition in strong terms.
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'Engineered narratives': West Bengal guv on alleged molestation charges against him
Kolkata, May 2: West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Thursday said he will not be cowed down by “engineered narratives” and the "truth shall triumph” after TMC leaders claimed that a woman working at Raj Bhavan levelled allegations of molestation against him.
In a statement, the Governor said, “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives. If anybody wants some election benefits by maligning me, God bless them. But they cannot stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal,”
To the Raj Bhavan staff "who expressed solidarity with him following some derogatory narratives that were circulated by two disgruntled employees as agents of political parties," a communication by Raj Bhawan said.
The Governor’s statement came after senior TMC leaders claimed this evening in a series of social media posts that the woman, who had levelled the allegations, has been taken to a police station to complain against Bose.
Though police sources said they received a verbal complaint, there was no official word on whether a formal complaint had been registered.
“BIG. Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose was accused of molesting a woman. How utterly appalling and Horrifying. Ahead of @narendramodi visit to Kolkata who is supposed to stay overnight at Raj Bhavan, a woman has alleged that she was molested while she went to meet the Governor at Raj Bhavan today. The complainant has been taken to the Hare Street police station for filing a complaint. The woman has accused the Governor of molesting her. Shocking and disgraceful,” TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose said in a post on X.
Fellow TMC MP Saket Gokhale also posted on his X account regarding the issue.
West Bengal Women and Child Development Minister Shashi Panja said it is “shameful” that the Governor has maligned his post and has used it to “torture a woman”.
“It is appalling and shocking to see such an incident. This is the same Governor who had reached out to Sandeshkhali to talk about women’s rights and Nari Shakti. This is shameful that the Governor sought undue advantages in the pretext of giving her a permanent job. We want Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be addressing rallies in Bengal tomorrow to react on this issue,” she said.
According to sources in the Governor's House, the "woman employee with the help of her alleged boyfriend who is also an employee of the Raj Bhavan was blocking complaints (from people) being sent to the Election Commission of India.
"When she was reprimanded for that, she went outside and alleged molestation. She is in the habit of throwing tantrums against her colleagues because of some disease," a Raj Bhavan official said.
The West Bengal Governor and the TMC government have shared an acrimonious relationship since he assumed office in November 2022 and had several run-ins on various issues.
The BJP said it has to be seen whether this a “conspiracy by the TMC” or has an “iota of truth in it”.
“We all know that the TMC is politically cornered on the issue of SSC scam and is looking for a breathing space. So this needs to be seen whether this is a conspiracy by the TMC or it has any iota of truth in it,” BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said.
BIG. Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose accused of molesting a woman. How utterly APPALLING and HORRIFYING. Ahead of @narendramodi visit to Kolkata who is supposed to stay overnight at Raj Bhavan, a woman has alleged that she was molested while she went to meet the Governor at Raj…
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) May 2, 2024
Shameful that a constitutional office holder should try to prejudice an impartial investigation by attacking the motive of the complainant. We have seen this happen in that infamous Saturday Hearing of the Supreme Court. Respect women! https://t.co/E6eJLQvFXO
— sanjoy ghose (@advsanjoy) May 2, 2024
