UPA’s arrogance and subterfuge

By Shyam Khosla

CONGRESS-led Government’s arrogance and subterfuge is limitless. It claimed it has accepted “almost all demands” raised by Yoga Guru Ram Dev and asked him to call off his hunger strike immediately. The Baba saw through the Government’s treachery to undermine his movement against corruption and black money and refused to give in. Having realised that the Baba couldn’t be bought over, the Government resorted to a midnight crackdown on fasting and sleeping followers of the Yoga Guru by several thousand armed policemen who beat up women, children and old men indiscriminately and hounded them out of the Ramlila grounds. Women and children were packed off to remote places and left to fend for themselves.

These atrocities remindes one of the days of the hated Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in total violation of the Constitutional provisions. The totally uncalled for and avoidable police action is a grave violation of human rights. The Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission have taken cognisance and asked the Government to submit a report. The argument that Baba had violated the terms on which he was given permission to hold the congregation is totally untenable. Are we living in a democratic country or a fascist regime? Since when is one required to take permission to observe a fast in support of his/her demands? Weren’t the yoga guru and his followers denied their fundamental right to assemble peacefully because the dynasty abhors saffron? Under no circumstance will they use force to disperse a Christian or Muslim gathering. They didn’t act when Geelani and others delivered anti-national speeches in the national capital. A case was registered against them only on judicial orders at the initiative of a patriotic citizen. The Prime Minister described the ugly and inhuman action against Baba and his followers as unfortunate yet ‘unavoidable’. Since when using brutal force to disperse a peaceful gathering in the middle of the night has become unavoidable? Heavens wouldn’t have fallen if the Yoga Guru was allowed to continue his fast for another two days, as admittedly was Baba’s plan. The Government was bending backwards only hours before the police action. Who pulled the strings to force the Government to brutally disperse peaceful and fasting satyagrahis? The people have a right to know who is running this country – a democratically elected Government or an extra-constitutional authority.

Fortunately for the country, spiritual, religious, social and political leaders were able to persuade Baba Ram Dev to break his fast so that he is available to carry forward his mass movement against rampant corruption. There was great concern all over the country over Government’s total insensitivity and the grave consequences in the event of Baba making the supreme sacrifice at the altar of the Government obduracy. A national catastrophe was averted. Let the Congress jokers celebrate it as some sort of “victory”. They will soon discover that the use of brute force by the Government against followers of the Baba has caused widespread resentment and anger among millions of his followers and common citizens throughout the length and breadth of the land. It may turnout to be a turning point in Congress party’s fortunes as the gory incident has created a huge anti-Congress constituency. Immediately after his discharge from the hospital, the Baba announced his determination to carry forward his crusade against corruption and authoritarianism. In a short span of a decade and half the Baba mobilised millions of people and created a network of followers through his yoga camps. There is widespread appreciation of his services to the society on health and other fronts. Bad mouthing the Baba and demonising him will boomerang on the Congress. Attempt to harass him by using investigating agencies will only strengthen his resolve to fight back.

Rattled by all round condemnation of the police action against Baba Ram Dev’s congregation, the ruling party has communalised the fight against corruption and black money. It is a trick the Congress party uses every time it is cornered on corruption or authoritarianism. They made a big issue of Sadhvi Ritambhra’s presence on the dais. It didn’t convince anyone. Sadhvi didn’t raised any communal issue nor did she passed any comment that could be objected to. On the contrary, she mesmerised the congregation by her thrilling oration. She spoke with passion against corruption in public life and strongly argued for eradication of this evil. Congress leaders and Ministers made funny claims saying they have in their possession documents that prove that the RSS was behind Ram Dev’s movement. What is wrong with RSS and outfits belonging to its ideological family supporting movements launched by Ram Dev and Anna Hazare? Sangh has a right, nay duty, to support all noble causes. There is nothing secret in it. The documents in possession of Congress leaders are nothing but resolutions and Press statements issued by parivar outfits in support of the movements against corruption and black money. It is not for the first time that the RSS has lent its support to social causes. It has a glorious track record of selfless service to the society. It had supported JP movement and the latter had gratefully accepted and acknowledged the services rendered by the RSS in the movement against dictatorship during 1975-77. Responding to Congress allegations, JP had publicly stated that if RSS and Jana Sangh were fascist, he too was a fascist. That’s how he derailed the obnoxious bogey raised by the Congress goons. The fact of the matter is that the Congress invents the threat from communalism to capture Muslim votes. RSS bashing is the last resort of the scoundrels masquerading as “secularists”.

The crusade against corruption and black money is unstoppable. BJP had raised the issue of black money stacked in foreign banks during 2009 elections with the promise that it would take steps to bring back the money looted by corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, if it were voted to power. In view of the UPA Government’s failure to show any interest on this crucial issue, BJP and other Opposition parties raised this issue forcefully through public rallies and in the Parliament. There was a demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe massive scams that emerged one after another during UPA’s regime. An entire Parliament session was wasted because of the Government’s obduracy. Ultimately the demand for setting up JPC was conceded. Unfortunately, the Congress party’s duplicity and hypocrisy have severely undermined the functioning of JPC.

The Congress and its allies also disrupted the proceedings of the PAC headed by senior BJP leader Dr. M M Joshi. Congress, BSP and SP members of the PAC demanded voting on the report that is not the practice in parliamentary committees. The very purpose of having an Opposition member as Chairman of PAC has been defeated by demanding a voting on the report. By choking parliamentary methods to hold the ruling alliance accountable, the Congress has created a situation in which people may be forced to take recourse to extra-constitutional means.

Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee recently observed that the situation in the country have “some similarities” with the situation that existed before the imposition of the Emergency in 1975. Kapil Sibal’s remark that action at Ramlila Maidan is a “lesson” for all is equally ominous. It is a crude threat to crush with brute force any movement against the Government howsoever peaceful it maybe. Congress-led Government’s authoritarianism and not the fasts and movements launched by political parties and civil society groups are subversive of democracy.