Democracy has been changed to Namocracy: John Brittas slams govt in fierce Rajya Sabha speech
New Delhi: In a fierce speech delivered in the Rajya Sabha, during the special session of the parliament called by the government, Member of Parliament John Brittas took the government to task for what he saw as a lack of accountability and adherence to the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Brittas dissected various aspects of governance and policy, highlighting concerns about the Prime Minister's presence in Parliament, the erosion of democratic values, and the changing definitions of key constitutional principles.
John Brittas began by questioning the Prime Minister's attendance in Parliament, asserting that the Prime Minister's presence was a mere 0.001 percent of the parliamentary sessions. This raised concerns about the accountability of the executive to the legislature, a fundamental tenet of parliamentary democracy. Brittas emphasized the importance of the Prime Minister's participation in parliamentary proceedings and called for increased engagement.
Brittas, who represents CPI(M) in the parliament, delved into the ideals outlined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, which includes liberty, equality, and fraternity. However, he pointed out that the concept of justice seemed to have transformed into a "bulldozer era," indicating a departure from the original ideals. He criticized the use of sedition and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as manifestations of a restricted liberty.
“I will just dwell on the Preamble of it. It speaks about Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. If you take justice, you will notice that we have reached the Bulldozer era that is a Justice now. The justice that is being imparted is the bulldozer so if it is economic Justice, we don't want to speak about the Oxford report because that's not a good company for good Organization for the present dispensation. You see the inequality that is spiralling us. The Liberty that has been assuring where has it reached, now it is more manifested in the form of sedition and UAPA that is a liberty we just reached,” he added.
He then addressed the principle of equality, highlighting the underrepresentation of minorities, particularly Muslims, in various aspects of Indian society, including the executive, legislature, judiciary, and media. He contrasted this with the diverse representation in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet, stressing the need to protect minority rights.
“Another Cardinal principle is equality of status and opportunities this government is honest to say that they don't believe it itself, Ambedkar, who they try to appropriate now, was absolutely clear when he said that democracy is not the law of majority but the protection of minority minorities. It's not Said by John Brittas but by Ambedkar. What is the representation of 20 crore Muslims in executive, in legislature and Judiciary even in medias, you know that the representation of Muslims Christians minorities in Kerala, what is the situation in Delhi, in Parliament, in executive? We all talk about this government’s main topic is to discuss about Mughals. I said they talk about Mughals more than the Indians, now, actually. In Akbar’s rule, or even Aurangzeb’s rule more than 50% of the ministers were Hindus. Do you know who Birbal was? He was a Hindu. Can you spot somebody in this executive now? What is this status of the representation of minority? Nehru's cabinet that was the first Ministry it was a model government it had given representation to every segments ministers there were Muslims, Parsi, Sikh, everyone, ofcourse even Syama Prasad Mookherjee, he asserted.
Brittas discussed fraternity, pointing out the misuse of the term "go to Pakistan" as an attack on the patriotism of certain individuals. He defended the patriotism of all Indians and questioned the country's standing in global indices, such as per capita GDP, human development index, and hunger index, which often ranked India poorly.
The MP questioned the evolving definitions of key constitutional values. He critiqued the government's approach to sovereignty, asserting that hugging foreign leaders did not equate to true sovereignty. He also raised concerns about the shift from socialism to "Adanism," referring to the influence of corporate giants like Adani in policy-making.
Brittas expressed his dismay at the confusion surrounding the concepts of secularism and socialism among certain members of the government. He called for stronger voices within the cabinet to uphold these core values and prevent any erosion of secularism and socialism.
“Now secularism. See secularism you know a gentleman sitting in prime minister's office had the audacity to say this constitution has become useless. And he said he doesn't understand the meaning of socialism and secularism. A gentleman heading the economic advisory Council of the Prime Minister had the audacity to come and say that he doesn't understand the meaning of secularism and socialism. I would have expected a cabinet minister the stature of Dharmendra Pradhan to say shut your mouth did you say sir you should have said it,” he said pointing at Union Cabinet Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In conclusion, Brittas underscored the essence of democracy as the accountability of the executive to Parliament and, in turn, to the people. He lamented the perception that democracy had transformed into "Namocracy" or "Modicracy," suggesting a lack of transparency and accessibility to the Prime Minister.
The MP also criticized the transformation of the term "Republic" into a media platform, alluding to Arnab Goswami's Republic TV. He implied that for some members of the ruling party, the concept of a republic had become synonymous with certain media outlets rather than upholding the values of a democratic republic.
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Congress voices concern over safety of minorities in Bangladesh
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the "atmosphere of insecurity" being faced by religious minorities in Bangladesh and the arrest of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das.
In a statement, Chairman of the party's Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera said, "The Indian National Congress expects the government of India to prevail upon the Bangladesh government to take necessary steps and ensure security of life and property of minorities in the country".
"The Indian National Congress expresses its deep concern at the atmosphere of insecurity being faced by religious minorities in Bangladesh. The arrest of the ISCKON monk is the latest example," he said.
A lawyer was killed on Tuesday during clashes between security personnel and followers of Das, who was denied bail and sent to jail by a court in the port city of Chattogram in Bangladesh in a sedition case.
Das, the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka a day earlier.
India on Tuesday noted with "deep concern" the arrest and denial of bail to the Hindu leader, and urged authorities in the neighbouring country to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority groups.
Bangladesh reacted sharply to the Ministry of External Affairs statement, saying it was unfounded and stood contrary to the spirit of friendship between the two countries.
In its statement, Dhaka said it does not interfere with the country's judiciary, which is fully independent
