GARHWAL POST / editorial / 22nd August 2014 Under attack On too many occasions, the Indian nation-state is unable to fight back. Not just against those who attack it with guns and bombs, but also with ideas and plain disrespect. These are not the attributes of a powerful nation. Nobody, for instance, disrespects China, leave alone pick a fight with it. This is despite the fact that India is politically a much more advanced nation. So, it is not just Pakistan or China constantly needling India in many ways, but also small groups and upstarts initiating assaults - from killing citizens to undermining constitutional institutions and authority. Even those who should know better, such as mainstream politicians, think little of subverting the law for petty and temporary gain. Ideologies that strike at the very root of India’s representative and lawful democracy are openly propagated with impunity without fear of retribution, whether it is Maoism or religious fundamentalism. People can make movies extolling a prime minister’s assassins without meeting any resistance, irrespective of the damage they may cause to the image of not only their community, but also the nation. One does not advocate the use of arbitrary or draconian measures to combat such persons, but it should not be left to the people’s ‘wisdom’ either. The state should have the wherewithal to meet the challenge, be it at the ideological, economic, social level, or the field of war. It requires resolve and a sense of national pride in the nation’s leadership. It is not just the responsibility of those currently in power, but of all those in mainstream politics. It is the declared objective of political parties across the spectrum to build up and strengthen India’s federal structure, so that the over-centralised polity of the past can be corrected. However, this will not be possible if unnecessary friction is created between the states and the centre; or, if the states cannot adopt a constructive approach to resolving difference among themselves. If politicians in important constitutional positions cannot extend even the basic courtesies to each other, how can they be expected to cooperate for the betterment of the nation? The states have had long pending disputes on delineation of borders or sharing of river waters that are contentious and difficult to resolve. This is understandable. However, what kind of message is communicated to the people when chief ministers of states declare that they would not perform their constitutional duty of vis a vis the Prime Minister merely because they are booed on occasion by the public? If public service is a matter of convenience to be conducted according to the comfort factor, the politicians should stop claiming to do so. It is irresponsible and self-serving politics that has reduced nations like Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, Pakistan and numerous others to their present pass. There is no special blessing from God that protects India from descending to that level. It happens in a slow and imperceptible manner, with everybody blinded by self-interest. Then suddenly the slide becomes irreversible and it is the people that ultimately suffer. It is, therefore, most important that the people remain the most alert to signs among their leaders of unprincipled and anti-national behaviour. Pull them up while there is still time.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 10:44:57 +0000
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