Open Forum The rollback in twelve months

Open Forum
The rollback in twelve months
By Shachi Rairikar

The UPA has done it again! Bang on its first birthday! It reiterated what it has been doing during its one-year tenure?murder of democracy. First it was Goa, then Jharkhand and now it is Bihar. The traces of Italian fascism can be clearly seen in the totalitarian regime of the UPA.

Democracy was neither understood nor practised within the Congress party. Under the weird opportunist alliance of the UPA, the nation has gone back to the days of the Emergency. Today with each assembly election, the nation awaits anxiously to see what crooked game the UPA will play to keep the NDA away from power at any cost.

Not only has the first year of the UPA been undemocratic and unconstitutional, it has also been anti-national. Measures were taken, which were gravely against national security interests. The anti-terrorism bill, POTA, was abolished without providing any alternative security measures. Passport and visa rules were relaxed for the entry from PoK offering smooth passage to potential terrorists. A person with alleged links with the ISI was sworn into the ministry. And above all, a person of foreign origin with a shady background was made the super PM and has access to all the information related to the government.

Wooing minorities, Congress'schronic disorder is back in vogue. Minorities commission, reservation to minorities on the basis of religion in education and jobs, awarding national award to the undeserving wife of a deceased missionary, declaring national mourning on the death of the Pope are only few examples of the numerous measures the UPA took to please its minority vote-bank. For the government of a country that was partitioned on the basis of religion, the rising population of a religious minority does not seem to be a matter of concern. In spite of repeated warnings from the intelligence departments, the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are being welcomed. Not only has the government unfairly favoured the religious minorities, it has been deliberately hurting the Hindu majority sentiments. The humiliating arrest of the Shankaracharya without substantial evidence was the easiest way to do this.

The RSS-managed schools providing patriotic, nationalist education are being judged communal while madrasas breeding jehadi terrorism are being certified as secular.

Education is probably one of the worst hit sectors with reversal in the school books taking us back to incorrect and skewed perception of Indian history. The leftist historians are again having a ball of a time. The RSS-managed schools providing patriotic, nationalist education are being judged communal while madrasas breeding jehadi terrorism are being certified as secular.

What did the UPA do in the first year of its accidental glory? It has consistently targeted the NDA, trying to crush it in every possible way and undoing everything that the NDA had done before them. Rejecting the Phukan Commission report, ordering fresh probe into Centaur deal and defence deals, changing the curriculum, even maligning the national heroes whom NDA had honoured, the UPA is just engaged in mud-slinging without taking any constructive step.

The year started with a historic slump in the stock market owing to the apprehension of an inexperienced woman with doubtful credentials adorning the PM seat. Owing to some constitutional technicalities and probably lack of self-confidence (and the desire to secure the coveted seat for her son) the nation of one hundred crore plus of population was saved from the shame of being ruled by a foreigner. The case of obvious helplessness was turned into a supreme sacrifice by the servile Congressmen. When a tainted minister was arrested on charges of murder, it was avenged by arresting a CM of the opposition party for having hoisted the national flag on a disputed territory?probably the only case in the history of the world where a citizen of a free state was arrested for hoisting its own national flag within its own lawful territory, which was supposed to be ?disputed?. Mishandling of unpleasant events left the north-east burning. National hero and freedom fighter, who had been honoured by eminent Congress leaders like Babu Rajendra Prasad, Indira Gandhi, C. Rajagopalachari was maligned and insulted by the Congress. Efforts were made to usurp power by unconstitutional and undemocratic means in Goa and Jharkhand. Undesired and uncalled for controversy over legislature versus judiciary was initiated by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha himself. The list is never-ending.

We are probably witnessing one of the lowest phases of national polity since Independence. The Indian Constitution, democracy and national security are in danger. Prices have been soaring sky high. A country that looked vibrant, progressive and shining only a year ago under the NDA rule, seems to have returned to the old sluggish ways of the Congress. The Congress is busy walking on a tight rope compromising on its policies to play to the whims of the Left and Lalu Prasad Yadav. A helpless, weak PM awaits orders from the super PM who is running the country by proxy.

(The writer can be contacted at shachi_rairikar@hotmail.com)