Yes the day I was always dreading has come, the day when I had to mourn the death of democracy in India. And ironically it came after Aug 15,2011.
For years when many protested saying that the Independence we got was fake, it was not a real one, I felt that these people were taking a rather extreme view. Sure we had our problems, but we still had our democratic rights, we had the right to vote out non performing Governments, we had the freedom of speech to air our views, we had the right to protest unlike Communist China.
But the last couple of years have seen me slowly losing my faith in Indian democracy, most of all in the right to peacefully protest and dissent. What happened to Baba Ramdev in May was bad enough, but what happened to Anna Hazare today was despicable.
It's ironical that while rapists, murderers and crooks roam the streets of Delhi free, people protesting peacefully against corruption are bundled up, arrested and taken to jail.
WHAT KIND OF DEMOCRACY IS THIS?
The UPA says that Anna Hazare was arrested because his protests could created disturbance, then why did they make such a big hue and cry when Rahul Gandhi was arrested by Mayawati in UP on the same grounds. This UPA Govt is not just dictatorial, its something even worse, its selectively democratic. It decides which protests should be allowed, which should be not, which is sort of worse than a dictatorship.
I admire Anna Hazare, not least for the work he has done in Ralegan Siddhi, at the same time, I had my own reservations on certain clauses of the Janlokpal bill. But in a democracy, every individual has the right to protest and dissent peacefully. You may or may not agree with Anna Hazare, you may or may not agree with his methods, BUT YOU CAN NEVER DENY HIS RIGHT TO PROTEST AND DISSENT.
The Govt has no issues with secessionist leaders from Kashmir holding meetings in Delhi, it keeps shut when Raj Thackeray openly issues threats against migrants from UP and Bihar, but people begin to protest peacefully against corruption, and it immediately swings into action. SORRY BUT WE AINT A DEMOCRACY.
Equally disgusting is the way certain sections of the media, have totally sold out themselves to the Govt. I was shocked to see some journalists and editors, justify the Govt's ham handed action against Anna Hazare, DO THEY UNDERSTAND THAT SOONER OR LATER, THEY COULD BE THE NEXT TARGET?
You don't agree with the politics or policies of Anna Hazare or Baba Ramdev, that is fine, BUT YOU CAN'T DENY THEIR RIGHT TO PROTEST, AND DISSENT. You are supporting the Govt action against Anna Hazare, just because you don't agree with his policies, you have no right to utter the high sounding words like Truth and Freedom of Expression.
Arresting Anna Hazare was bad enough, but keeping him in Tihar Jail, positively, reeks of insanity. And making Anna share space with that crook called Suresh Kalmadi? Are these people in their senses?
And who are these spokespersons the Govt fields, Manish Tiwari, Jayanthi Natrajan, Abhishek Singhvi, each of them so arrogant, does the Govt realize what the people are thinking?
A Prime Minister who seems perennially lost and helpless, no accountability among the Cabinet, corruption and scams on a monumental scale, and now this disgraceful action on Aug 16,2011.
THIS IS THE WORST EVER GOVERNMENT I HAVE SEEN.
