Question of survival of democracy
Three men claiming to be from CID, went to researcher and thinker Ram Puniyani’s house, and told him they were there because his family member had applied for a passport. But Puniyani was taken by surprise because no one from his family had applied for passport. He told them that and yet the strangers didn’t leave. They began asking him very intriguing questions about his personal life, and job etc. Finally, they left him with a very disturbing veiled threat.
In another incident, government stopped giving advertisement to two prominent Kashmiri dailies. Those newspapers played important role in Kashmiri people's lives. The government didn’t give any particular reason to stop the ads to these dailies. These newspapers enjoyed most trustworthy faith of the people and media in Kashmir, so much that when they decided to protest, all other newspapers joined hands with them and displayed vacant spaces on their papers without taking ads.
Dalit thinker and professor in Lucknow University Ravikant was nominated for Ramanlal Agarwal Award given by State Government Employees Union. The award ceremony was to be held at the end of the month. But this award was withdrawn all of a sudden. The reason was that he had criticized the BJP state and central government in social media. Government tried to muzzle the voice of The Hindu paper and its editor N Ram in connection with Rafale deal.
The government argued before the court as if bringing out the names of the accused is a big crime. N Ram went on record and said there is fear in media today. If the editor of one of the oldest and most credible paper can give this statement, what would be the case of small and medium level newspapers in states and regional spaces?
The reporters and columnists who wrote against the government have been often arrested or framed in charges. A mindset has been created which says criticizing the PM is like criticizing the country. A man in UP was beaten black and blue for speaking against unemployment. The government itself is sending out messages that none should speak against the government.
When the government is weak, the miscreants would begin to walk around strutting their chest out, and attack the thinkers and journalists in broad daylight. The messed up law and order situation comes into discussion then. But what’s happening in the country is pretty different. It’s not just the miscreants, but the whole legal and police system is working to continuously launch assaults on the secular fabric of the society. When people face threat, the government has to protect them. But here, the representatives of the government, the police themselves are launching an assault. When the agencies that represent the assaulters stand to continue the tirade against thinkers and critics, it would be called an ‘emergency’. When Indira Gandhi imposed emergency, many journalists were jailed. Writers used metaphors to describe her rule. But today there is no declaration as such. But the emergency exists in the garb of democracy itself. That’s more dangerous.
Ram Puniyani has worked to take the secular heritage of this country to common people. Hundreds of writers like Puniyani are taking real message of real India to people when Sangh Parivar is trying to sell the distorted history. The government is employing police to shut the mouths of such people. A lot of human rights activists in the name of Koregaon violence, writers and thinkers have already been jailed. Government calls them Urban Naxals.
Sudha Bharadwaj is one such activist who has been arrested. On one hand our government has arrested her, and on the other, Harvard University has honored her for her work and human rights activism. Isn’t it an insult of our democracy that the government keeps her in jail whereas Harvard has honored her? Isn’t this denting the credibility of the nation in international arena? Though the government tried to arrest Anand Teltumbde, the plan was foiled last minute. World is noticing that India is going into undeclared emergency. By the time this elections are over, it would not be surprising if more people are jailed and tortured. This is why this round of elections will surely decide the survival of democracy.
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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.
