There are some sections of people who do not like Parliamentary Government. Communists want the Russian type of government. The socialists are also against the present Constitution of India. They are agitating against it. They have declared that if they come to power, they will modify it. Personally speaking, I am very attached to the Parliamentary system of Government. We must understand what it means and we must preserve it in constitution”. –Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, in his speech delivered at D.A.V. College, Jalandhar, on October 28, 1951
The agitations generally are supposed to be peaceful and democratic and therefore, as per the Constitutional scheme of things political agitations are perfectly justified. But when looking at the series of agitations and protests in Bharat, they raise doubt about their intent. It started with the demand to release the terrorists accused in the Parliament attack. In the Shaheen Bagh protest, communal sentiments were flared up by Islamists which led to the Delhi riots. Now, in the name of farmers’ protests, the entire democratic system is being put to the test.
In a Parliamentary Democracy, the will of the people is reflected through their representatives in the Parliament. Dr Ambedkar defined democracy as “a form and a method of Government whereby revolutionary changes in the social life are brought about without bloodshed”. Unfortunately, since 2014, some political parties and their intellectual slaves are not ready to accept this fundamental principle. The forces that intend to weaken and eventually overthrow the Parliamentary Democracy through revolutionary means always take this impatience and insecurities to further their agenda. Putting a street veto on the parliamentary decisions is just a first stage; discrediting democratic institutions is the real agenda. Hence, the Election Commission and the Armed Forces are also under attack.
In the name of opposing farm laws, along with the parliamentary decisions, the State’s ability to ensure law and order is also being challenged. By ransacking shops and destructing mobile towers of a particular brand, the protesters are undermining the Constitutional right of Freedom of Movement of the people, who crossover to Delhi from the neighbouring States for their livelihood and right to do a legal business in some parts of Punjab. Again, a peculiar strategy to destroy confidence in the democratic Constitution in farmers’ name is being deployed so that seeds of revolution can be germinated.
Disregarding the judicial intervention is nothing but crossing all the limits of propriety in any democratic agitation. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of farm laws until further orders and constituted a four-member committee for mediating negotiations. After a series of talks with the Union Government, this should have been a good enough step to put the agitation on hold. Instead, the irresponsible leadership hijacked by the Communist organisations decided not to accept any Committee for the resolution and continued with their demand that all three laws’ must be repealed.
Contrary to the perception, the apex court’s decision has now put the agitating organisations in a fix because:
- They cannot claim a monopoly over the farmer’s interests, and the committee can talk to other farmers’ organisations that favour the agricultural reforms.
- If they seriously think that provisions of the new laws are against the farmers’, they will have to give point by point explanation, which they have failed to do even in earlier negotiations with the Government.
- If they fail to cooperate with the committee, it will further expose their malicious intent.
Our democracy previously has been tested, and this time two, it will face the challenge with the collective will. We should be aware of the intent and designs of the forces who want to weaken the Constitutional scheme of democracy through unending agitations.
@PrafullaKetkar
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