Political Diary

New Delhi, 1 March 2016

Our Pygmy Leaders

TALK INNANETIES AS REALITY BITES

By Poonam I Kaushish

Where is my India going? Most important, where are our leaders taking it? To hell it seems. I agonise over these questions as a battle royale rages in Parliament and across India over two controversies: Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani’s belligerent reply on the JNU case and suicide of Hyderabad student Rohith Vemula. And the alleged rape of 10 women during the recent Jat stir demanding reservation in Haryana.

All hell broke lose in both Houses In her hard-hitting reply, Irani forcefully defended the action against JNU students stating they had been found indulging in anti-national activities by the university authorities. To support her case about undeserving activities on the campus, she referred to the observation of Mahishasur Martyrdom Day in which Goddess Durga is depicted as a ‘sex worker’.

Daring the Left to enunciate this on Kolkata’s streets where Durga is revered, the Minister read from a 4 October 2014 pamphlet by JNU’s SC, ST and minority students of JNU. “Durga Puja is the most controversial racial festival, where a fair-skinned beautiful goddess Durga is depicted brutally killing a dark-skinned native called Mahishasur, a brave self-respecting leader tricked into marriage by Aryans. They hired a sex worker called Durga who enticed Mahishasur into marriage and killed him after nine nights of honeymooning during sleep.” What is this depraved mentality?

On Vemula’s suicide by quoting from various university observations she trashed BSP’s Mayawati demand for her resignation, sacking of Hyderabad University’s Vice-Chancellor and inclusion of a Dalit in the judicial committee probing the suicide resulting in a war of words. Asserted Irani, “Agar mere uttar se aap santusht na ho toh main apna sar kalam kar ke aapke charnoon main chood doonge.”  

Slamming the Government for appointing an upper caste one-man judicial commission, Mayawati challenged Irani, “I am not satisfied with your reply….what will you do? Countered the Minister, “You can ask your BSP workers to take away my head.” Even as Prime Minister Modi applauded Irani’s performance. Sic.  

slammed the government for appointing slammed the government for appointing slammed the government for appointing Arguably, it’s not the three-day Parliamentary debate which worries me. An issue which will die its natural death within days, once the Opposition latches on to another discrepancy to hit the Government.  What one is concerned about is whether our Right Honourables only want to score brownie points or expound on matters which worry the aam aadmi: rising unemployment, sky rocketing prices a stagnant economy, notwithstanding Finance Minister Jaitley’s projection of a 7.5 growth rate.

This brings me to the Haryana rapes. Doesn’t this take precedence over nit-picking on Irani’s ‘blasphemous’ remark and not letting Rajya Sabha function till she apologies. Do our netagan care a fig leaf about the viciousness of the rape? Moreover has it stirred their conscious? Or will it be wished away as a bad dream? Have we decided to surrender shamelessly to horrendous criminalization? Said goodbye to the rule of law?

The facts, during the violent Jat quota stir in neighbouring Haryana visuals of women’s clothing scattered in Murthal fields on NH1 surfaced in the media and went viral on social sites, amidst allegations of gang rapes of at least 10 women who were dragged out of cars, stripped and gang raped in the fields.

Worse, even as the police denied rape reports as mere rumours, district officials advised victims and their family members not to report the incident so as to safeguard their ‘honour’. More. Three women who appeared lifeless were united with their families by senior police officers who not only persuaded them to take the women home but also provided transport.

Questionably, why didn’t the police investigating the matter? Instead the law enforcers have conveniently put the onus of proof of the victims. So far no complainant has come forward and neither has any evidence been found of any incident there," stated the police chief.  

Never mind, to play safe or eyewash the Haryana Government has set up a three women committee for receiving any complaint. Promising to probe the matter swiftly, with sensitivity and compassion! Really?  Is this the badge of honour for the increasingly unsafe environment wherein women are mince-meat for male lust who strut around as human animals?

The heartbreak of it all is that not only have our leaders lost the plot but worse they are so out of sync of what the people want and what our leaders think is best for them. Thereby, exposing their sheer ennui and paucity of ideas along-with accentuating their moral bankruptcy.

What to speak of a perspective completely divorced from reality. The anger and indignation coursing through the streets of India is palpable but their plaintive cries for justice boomerang as our netas ensconced in their fortified houses care only for themselves. How many rapes will it take for them to act?

Most shocking, little does our polity realize that numbers do not lie. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 93 women are raped on an average every day in the country and the total number of cases reported increased to 33,707 in 2013 from 24,923 in 2012. Of these in 15,556 cases the victims were between 18-30 years, 13,304 were girls under 14 while 8,877 victims were teenaged girls aged 14-18.

Also, Delhi earned the ignominious title of being India’s Rape Capital, recording 1,813 rapes in 2014 up from 1,636 in 2013 and double the number the preceding year (706). On an average, four assaults were reported everyday, followed by 391 cases in Mumbai, 192 in Jaipur and 171 in Pune in 2013.

Alas, in an era when political image is branded like detergents, our leaders fall over each other to voice their fake manufactured grief over the rising crime graph and increasing lawlessness, offering nothing but empty rhetoric, completely disregarding the fact that it has failed miserably time and again in making our cities safe for the aam aadmi.

Adding to the appalling chorus is our Hindutva brigade’s solution, girls should not wear exposing clothes, instead wear salwar kameezes and have no business to be out late. Fobbing of their responsibility of enforcing the law and ensuring order.

Scandalously, such is the state of affairs we are immune to women being snatched off the streets and gang raped in moving cars.  Turn to any mohalla, city or State the story is the same. Be it a molestation, sexual assault or rape it has trapped all with bullet-proof precision. Sending petrified shivers down one’s spine. A jungle raj. And we call ourselves a civilised society!

The fault rests squarely at our leaders doorsteps. Disillusionment and discontent among the people is spiraling. Borne out by rising farmers suicides, despite subsidies and promises of achche din, which remains a distant mirage.

Wherein lies India’s salvation? The time has come for our polity to stop making a mickey of its janata. Merely mouthing platitudes will no longer work. The strength of democracy and the quality of life enjoyed by citizens is largely determined by the ability of its leaders to discharge its duties honourably and independently. How long are we going to look for giants among our pygmy leaders and allow them to ride roughshod over us? Will they rise to the challenges facing the country? To stand up and be counted?  ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)