THE justification for the Ramlila ground incident, by no less than the Prime Minister of the country, proclaimed by all and sundry to be a man of integrity, is nothing but a brazen display of raw arrogance by a party which came to power, 7 years back, riding on the plank of aam aadmi countering the “India Shining” slogan of the BJP. In those heydays the aam aadmi was put on a high pedestal and the media went on a frenzy to pronounce that the victory of the Congress led UPA was the victory of the aam aadmi and that the real India had voted against “India Shining”.
However, the events of the past seven years are proof enough to show that the government, has done the greatest disservice to the very people whom it purportedly represents. The statement of the Prime Minister is another addition to the long/inexhaustible list of disservice that the aam aadmi has been subjected to, as it was the very aam aadmi, who was sitting on a satyagraha against corruption, an issue close to every one’s heart, in the end found itself at the receiving end. The likes of Kapil Sibal, who not even a week back, went all the way to placate Baba Ramdev, have now done a somersault, ladled with classical arrogance while justifying that “whatever happened, happened for good”. Perhaps the likes of Sibal forget that it was the very people from the nook and cranny of the nation who were present at the Ramlila ground and most of them were from villages, which not far ago, was described as the ‘real India’, by none other than the “heir apparent” to the throne. Thus, there seems to be an evident contradiction between the words and action of the government. On top of this, we are being told that neither “Madam” nor the “crown prince” was aware of this. Either the Congress Party thinks that the people of India are too naïve to accept this or else it is in a make-believe -world, where everyone in India accepts what they say and do. Not long ago, the “crown prince” while addressing a gathering of tribals in Kalhandi, District in Odisha had drawn eulogy to the “two India” one that lives in the Metros/cities and one that lives in villages but when it came to taking sides, this person, who professes himself to be the aam aadmi ka siphai is nowhere to be seen. This is nothing but double standard and sheer hypocrisy on the part of the ruling party and reinforces that all that the Congress Party and the ‘First Family” is interested in, is to use the aam aadmi as and when they are cornered and at the same time abuse the same aam aadmi in the name of “law and order”. The contrast is so varied to be missed. If this was not enough, the Congress Party and the governments of the day have devised an ingenious method where the party feigns ignorance of what the government is doing which pales the adage “right hand does not know what’s the left hand doing” into insignificance. In this state of affairs, the likes of Digvijay Singh never misses an opportunity to ridicule anybody who challenges the government inaction on corruption by casting aspersion and at times even by brow beating. To top it all, such act of perversity is sought to be justified by alluding to the much abused term in the interest of preserving the democratic set up of the country.
Now, after the Ramlila ground incident, even the ministers involved in the process of talking to Baba Ramdev are following the line adopted by Digvijay Singh. The signal emanating from such stance of the party and the government of the day is that the government led by the Congress Party will not even think twice before coming down heavily on those who come out on street to voice their legitimate grievances. This is clear from the denial of permission to Anna Hazare to hold a fast at Jantar Mantar on June 8, on the phony pretext of law and order which was permitted at Raj Ghat instead.
The latest addition to the list of the Congress Party’s vindictive stance is initiation of action against Baba Ramdev on the ground of alleged land grabbing. In the coming days, we will witness some more such charges brought against all and sundry who even dare to speak out against the government. Another devious means adopted by the UPA with the mala fide intent to somehow discredit the people’s movement may it be led by Anna Hazare or by Baba Ramdev, is to portray them as mukhauta of the RSS. The discomfort within the UPA, already saddled with plethora of scams and issue like price rise, to name a few, to wriggle out of the present situation is palpable and both the Congress Party and the UPA government are adopting all devious means to divide the public opinion, knowing full well that, at least on this count they have failed miserably. The groundswell of support in favour of apolitical figures like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev has shaken the ruling party and the kneejerk reaction of the party in power only strengthens such belief. In doing so the Congress Party is also sending out a message that it will adopt all means to dissuade and even threaten all those who question the legitimacy of the government and one would not be surprised, if charges are brought against Anna Hazare to discredit his crusade against corruption.
However, the irony is that in few days time, we will all forget what happened to the hapless women, children and all those who had gathered at the Ramlila ground on the fateful night of June 4, 2011,for public memory is too short, and the media, the so called arbiter of everything under the sun, would move on to a new “story” and again the likes of “crown prince” and his cronies will preach us about the ruling party’s commitment to the aam aadmi. We would also forget the treatment meted out to Anna Hazare, this tendency of going into a stupor after being agitated for a while is the malice that has plagued us and unless we the aam aadmi take timely steps, it will be us who would be ruing the fact that we have lost an opportunity to set an all pervasive wrong right. If not, it is only a matter of time that atrocities against the aam aadmi would become aam baat for the government of the day.
