India has been proud of its most precious possession – Democracy. The events,one after another, in the last few years posed a challenge to it. A power-drunk government attacked the basic principles of the Constitution and did whatever it thought to perpetuate its grip on power. Recently law after law was passed without exhaustive debates, only on the basis of a brute majority. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is being used selectively against the Opposition. Laws are being used to suppress civil liberties and freedom of expression.
Kejriwal was being taken by the ruling regime as a thorn right in its heart. BJP did not concede full statehood to Delhi, imposed a dominating Lieutenant Governor, and did not accept the Supreme Court verdict that Delhi Government should be given full freedom in managing the state. This is happening in an atmosphere of attacks on civil society, censorship and a type of undeclared emergency. The latest attack came in the shape of the atrocity of Kejriwal’s arrest on trumped-up charges. This is the most brazen and atrocious attack on the rule of law in the capital of the most populous country of the world. The whole world is watching this violation of democratic norms with concern.
The Opposition, especially the grand old party Indian National Congress,is steadily under attack. This is an indication of the inherent vindictiveness of the saffron dispensation. Kejriwal has proved that he is a good leader who did improve the lives of citizens under his care. Besides, he has expanded his influence in the Punjab, Goa and Gujarat. The BJP wants to suppress this rising party under its very nose.
This latest atrocity against Kejriwal has come in quick succession of the ousting of Chief Minister Hemant Soren of Jharkhand. This became possible because of the weaponization of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as a parting kick by an honourable judge for which he has been richly awarded.
The Kejriwal’s arrest has sent shockwaves throughout the country among the national and state partners. They take it as an SOS for the country’s impending march towards an authoritarian dispensation. Giving vent to this, Congress President Kharge called PM Modi ‘the dictator of the country’.
The signs on our political horizon are ominous and fraught with inherent dangers to this country, which is a federation of states. The BJP has expanded its circle of andhbhakts (blind followers) who are intoxicated by pseudo-religious feelings. If the civil society does not assert itself and the Opposition does not unite fully, the trajectory of India will be in acute danger.
In this regard we can learn a lesson from the recent history of the then USSR. Up to 1990, it was a strong and prosperous country that was an equal and formidable match to the USA. It had 19 states under its wings and a population of 25 crore while the US population was 28 crore. But history witnessed the disintegration of that powerful country, and now with its 14 crore population, Russia is struggling to regain its lost glory and power. If we allow BJP to undermine the democratic principles, we may face, God forbid, a similar situation and destruction. Therefore, the united Opposition should gird up its loins and struggle unitedly to strengthen the rule of law and revive the true spirit of democracy and inclusiveness. India’s future will be safe only if we have a vibrant Opposition and responsible ruling party.