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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kundapur: Jet ski boat capsizes off Trasi beach; dead body of rider found in sea water
Kundapur: The dead body of a 41-year-old jet ski rider, Rohidas, also known as Ravi, who had drowned in a jet ski mishap at Trasi beach on Saturday evening was found on the beach, in the area behind the crematorium at Hospet here on Monday morning.
The body was seen floating in the sea waters off the shore by two local fishermen Shasa Kharvi and Mohan Kharvi at around 3 am on Monday, approximately 36 hours after the accident. The fishermen are learned to have informed the Coast Guard Coastal Control Squad staff member Nishanth Kharvi, who, with help from the fishermen, got Rohidas’ body out of the waters and brought the matter to the notice of the police.
Further, Ibrahim Gangolli, staff member of 24x7 Ambulance Service, Gangolli; beach management staff member Suresh Koderi, Rohidas’ colleagues and Nishanth Kharvi got the disaster victim’s body off the beach.
Gangolli Police have visited the Trasi beach to conduct an inspection of the area.
Rohidas, a rider on a jet ski boat of the Beluga Water Sports company at the Trasi beach, was taking a tourist on a sea excursion on Saturday, when he lost control over the boat. As the boat capsized, the tourist escaped, but Rohidas drowned in the sea.
