India is a country which claims to be the largest democracy of the world, but the recent deplorable incident, occurred in the Mumbai Assembly with the SP MLA, Abu Asim Azmi, a member of the Mumbai Assembly, for taking the oath in Hindi, the first official language of India, has once again exposed the shallowness of the Indian democratic system. The incident was a sordid precedent in the history of a legislative Assembly where the first official language and the MLA who wanted to swear in it, were insulted.
This cowardly and audacious act of the MNS legislators was against the freedom of speech and expression enshrined in the Constitution. Consequently, this received the strong and dimensional condemnation from all the political parties and some prominent scholars save and except the MNS. After this ugly incident, some political leaders expressed their grave concern over it, claiming that the country will disintegrate unless stringent actions are taken soon, against the perpetrators.
The newly elected Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan, termed the development as a blot on the Indian democracy. Even the Shiv Sena, which often involves in the violent and destructive actions, strongly condemned the incident and said that in the past, during its power, such a despicable incident never happened. But MNS chief, Raj Thackeray, a so-called patriot, did not express even a single word to condemn the riotous incident. Instead, he lavished the praise of words upon the legislators while the members of his party proudly garlanded them. Thus, they exhibited their indecent behavior and divulged the secret of their dictionary not having the meaning of morality.
The incident in its nature was really a serious threat to the integration of the country. Such an incident might corrode the pluralistic culture of our nation which has been a salient feature of the nation over the decades. One should bear in mind that some days ago when the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind passed a resolution not to sing Vande Mataram, members of the MNS, including Raj Thackeray, said that the resolution would disintegrate the country and those opposing to the song are the traitors and should go to Pakistan. Here arise many questions: Is the destabilising act perpetrated in the Mumbai Assembly not a step towards disintegrating the country? Are they not trying to whip up anti-Hindi speaking sentiments across the state in order to split the nation on the basis of respective languages? Is it not a step towards separatism? Under all these questions, a right-thinking individual can easily decide what the goons of the MNS and its chief want. They want to dismantle the social fabric of the country – what it is known for across the globe – to foster hatred in the hearts of both Hindi-speaking and Marathi-speaking people, and to disrupt communal harmony to serve their diabolic ends.
The peace-loving citizen is extremely surprised at their shamelessly justifying the assault, saying that Mr. Abu Azmi dishonored the Marathi language in the Marathi-speaking state. It was by no means an unfounded and false allegation only to cover their immoral act and to project themselves as innocents. The great truth is that they, not Abu Asim Azmi, disrespected a language, that too the first official language. They, fearlessly dishonoring Hindi, made a mockery of the Indian Constitution. Who is responsible for the MNS gaining in strength? It is the Congress-NCP coalition which always tried to tackle the outrageous situation with soft hands and this very tenderness gave them fillip to go on rampage and vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the country.
It is time the government showed its will and guts in handling such incidents firmly, or each state will create problem on the basis of chauvinism.