– Sidharth Yadav
LLM student at Delhi University
The Republic of India has been founded on valour and sacrifices of millions of sons and daughters over centuries. It took blood and sweat for a nation to come out strong and independent and stand on its feet with its head held high. For a country who fought for independence for a thousand years, the day of its independence must hold more value than any other day. But over the years we have seen modern India celebrating 26th January, the republic day with more enthusiasm than any other day. But why has this been the case? 26th January 1950 completed the country’s transition of becoming a sovereign republic. It was the day when we replaced the Government of India Act 1935 with the Indian Constitution. While we did gain independence in 1947 but it was only until that day that the Indian constitution was adopted and India became a sovereign state, a republic. This has motivated millions of countrymen for years and instilled them with pride. The country doesn’t remind itself of the horrors of the past on this day rather looks forward to the hopeful future. The pride on our forces, cultures, states, innovations is reiterated on this day and the tricolour fills the rainbow.
What the nation witnessed on 26th of January 2021 would leave a deep scar on the conscience of the country. While the soldiers marched hand in hand on Rajpath, the country sat in anticipation of the trepidation of a march by leaders (mis)leading grain gods. Soon the pictures started coming in and what was supposed to be celebrated as the pride of the largest republic of the world, became a shame. The issue is not what the protesters demanded. The country has seen division in the opinion of farmers across the length and breadth of our motherland of what is to their benefit and what is not but what happened today in the streets of our capital was definitely not in country’s benefit. The protesters forgot that they decided to march on the day when our beloved constitution was adopted. In the past 72 years, we have seen enough struggle to uphold the values of the most beautiful constitution but the masterminds of this havoc left no stone unturned to tear it apart. They called the march by pleading on the constitution but forgot the very articles which allowed them to do so. The most recited article of our constitution recently, article 19 which talks of freedoms, was totally misread by them. Article 19 (1)(b) allows the citizens to assemble ‘peacefully and without arms’. While peace was missing, arms were flashing in the sky. The constitution-makers would have also gone into shock seeing the visuals of today’s catastrophe. Policemen running for their lives, public property being demolished, anger-filled young men raging through the roads of the capital. Where independent India first hoisted tricolour, the country saw men climbing up to bring down the sacredness of a religious flag. Only the tricolour looks graceful on that pole on Red Fort.
This is not a farmer’s movement. This cannot be a religious or a community’s movement. This is definitely a planned movement. The usual resentment on the introduction of any new law by the centre has been normalised and this has been part of the same master plan. What started with misleading and misinforming has come down to mobbing and mocking. Being adamant on more than 11 discussions with the government, sticking on to the date of the march, breaking the pre-decided protocols, diverting from the agreed route, breaking into prohibited places, pelting of stones, hitting with rods, it was all planned. The divisive forces working backstage had scripted it all. It is just sad that the country fell for their trap. The so-called farmer leaders were nowhere to be found and it looked as if they are also no leaders in the true sense. They are politically motivated hungry men looking to suck on to a section of the society for their survival. They are the bedbugs of the human race and the worst thing about bedbugs is that they are not visible with naked eye once they stick on to something they are difficult to get rid of. They were followed by hardened blind people whose freedom of thought has been snatched away.
We as a nation can just wish we had not seen this disaster. We wish they were stopped earlier using force but the shame of our fellow citizens be saved. We would probably have been happy to critique the government for using excessive force rather than looking down upon the sons of our own republic. They did fail us. They failed the farmers and the constitution. The young to come would remember this infamous 72nd republic day as the day public repressed the republic.
