Present undeclared emergency worse than emergency
It has been 45 years since Indira Gandhi imposed emergency in India. From June 1975 to March 1977, for nearly two years, democracy was suspended in the country. We need to remember those tumultuous days every year to make sure that the country’s Constitution and democracy are not subjected to the same treatment again. Those two years taught us precious lessons on what happens when a leader is worshipped at the altar, and how such a leader can trample the Constitution and become a dictator. We should also remember all the tall leaders who protested against the emergency and who were responsible for reinstating democracy in the country. On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, urging the country “to not forget those people who sacrificed their lives to protect democracy.” He also added in his statement: “The opposition against the emergency was not limited to the political class. It upset everyone. People were filled with rage and fought to bring back democracy. Every citizen felt something precious was taken away from him.” There cannot be any dispute over this. All conscientious citizens had opposed the emergency keeping aside party affiliations. Their struggles made sure that democracy that had derailed got back on track.
In the dark days of emergency, intellectuals, political thinkers, and writers were targeted and hounded. A situation was created where those who questioned the government’s decision were thrown behind bars, as any criticism of the government or its policies were considered an act of treason. Journalists who wrote against the government were also jailed. Ironically, the current situation of the country is no different. In fact, it is worse than that. But for the fact that India now has a democratically elected government in place, the country is facing an undeclared emergency and is being suffocated on all fronts. If Sanjay Gandhi’s dictatorial ways and atrocities gained notoriety during Indira Gandhi’s emergency, today we have leaders such as ‘Amit Shah’ who are trying hard to fill Sanjay Gandhi’s shoes. The acts of Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh and Kapil Mishra in Delhi remind us of emergency.
In those days of emergency, the economic life of the ordinary people was not in shambles. Instead, using the emergency, some leaders successfully implemented the Land Reforms Act which essentially involved taking away land from landlords and distributing it to the landless. When D. Devraj Urs was the Chief Minister of Karnataka, hundreds of farmers of Billava community, who were living in penury and as tenants in Mangaluru, became landowners. If Indira Gandhi had not implemented the Act ruthlessly, many backward class people would have remained tenants of the upper caste landlords. But in the 2020-undeclared emergency, several laws are being enacted to grab land from farmers and hand it over to capitalist forces. If Indira Gandhi had embarked on several revolutionary measures such as nationalizing banks, today’s government seems to be in a hurry to destroy banks and privatize them.
The decision to demonetize high value currency notes is no less significant compared to an imposition of financial emergency. Perhaps even during emergency, people were not forced to stand in queues before banks to withdraw the money that belonged to them. Even after the passage of few years, people have not yet recovered from the impact of demonetization. The financial emergency situation that people were in further deteriorated with the imposition of Covid-19 lockdown. An Act that curbs the sale of cattle by farmers was also enacted during the present undeclared emergency. Farmers, who were in distress after the demonetization, faced additional distress without being able to sell their cattle in duress. The Act was also responsible for the collapse of the animal husbandry sector. The regulations on cattle-trade helped fake cow-protectors and a few Mutts to make money in the name of cow protection. The farmers who are the real protectors of the cow were virtually on the streets.
During Indira Gandhi’s emergency, nobody asked fellow citizens to prove their citizenship. But today people are being repeatedly asked to do so. In Assam, lakhs of people who were not able to prove their citizenship were thrown into detention camps with many of them dying due to lack of food and water. Through Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an attempt was made to divide the country into Muslims and non-Muslims. The Home Minister ignited sparks of communal hatred through the National Register of Citizens (NRC). Hundreds of students who were protesting against CAA faced jail term and many of them were killed in police firing. The plight of students was not so pathetic during Indira Gandhi’s emergency.
Thinkers, writers, and social workers who have raised their voice against the present government are being branded as ‘anti-nationals’ and are thrown into jail. Hundreds of Dalit activists including Anand Teltumbe and former police officers such as Sanjiv Bhatt are in jail for protesting against the anti-Dalit policy of the government. While a terrorist who has alleged links to the attack on Parliament gets bail, activists who are fighting for the country’s democracy are yet to get bail. With newspapers becoming government trumpets, those in the media who are exposing the scandals of the government are being harassed by the administration by misusing investigating agencies.
Even as the country was going through a series of challenges one after another, a nation-wide lockdown was imposed in the name of fighting the coronavirus. Laborers who pledged their sweat and blood for the country’s development found themselves on the street without food, water, and housing and experienced living hell unable to survive in cities or go back home. They became aliens in their own land. Indira Gandhi had declared an emergency officially. But now, emergency is prevailing in the country under the garb of democracy and the voices of those who are speaking in favor of democracy are being ruthlessly suppressed. During the emergency of Indira Gandhi, leaders with rich experience of participating in the freedom struggle came together to launch a united fight following which democracy was reinstated. But today, the country is facing a dearth of such leaders. If we do not recognize the gravity of the present emergency situation being played out as democracy and raise our voices, the country might be subjected to an official emergency soon. Before being thrown from the frying pan into the fire, the bitter memories of the 1975 emergency period should serve as a wakeup call to come together and face the horrors of the present situation.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
