Scar on the Country’s Conscience

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 which 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 January 26, the Republic Day with more enthusiasm than any other day. But why has this been the case?

January 26, 1950, completed the country’s transition to becoming a sovereign republic. It was the day when we replaced the Government of India’s Act of 1935 with the Indian Constitution. While we did gain Independence in 1947, 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 in them pride. The country doesn’t remind itself of the past’s horrors; instead, it looks forward to hopeful future. The pride in our forces, cultures, States innovations is reiterated on this day, and the Tricolour fills the rainbow.

What the nation witnessed on January 26, 2021, would leave a deep scar on the country’s conscience. 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 world’s largest republic became a shame. The issue is not what the protesters demanded. The country has seen division in farmers’ opinion across the length and breadth of our motherland of what is to their benefit and what is not. But what happened on the Republic Day in the streets of our capital was not in the 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 most beautiful Constitutional values, 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 misread by them. Article 19 (1) (b) allows citizens to assemble ‘peacefully and without arms’. While peace was missing, arms were flashing in the sky. The constitution-makers would also have gone into a shock, seeing the visuals of the catastrophe. Police officers were running for their lives, the public property being demolished, anger-filled young men raging through the capital’s roads. Independent India first hoisted Tricolour, and 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 introducing 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

This was not a farmer’s movement. This cannot be a religious or a community’s movement. This was definitely a planned movement. The usual resentment on introducing 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 march’s date, breaking the pre-decided protocols, diverting from the agreed route, breaking into prohibited places, pelting of stones, hitting the cops 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 were also no leaders in the real sense. They are politically motivated hungry men looking to suck on to a section of society for their survival. They were followed by hardened blind people whose freedom of thought has been snatched away.

We as a nation can wish we had not seen this disaster. We want to stop using force, but the shame of our fellow citizens will be saved. We would probably have been happy to critique the government to use excess force rather than look down upon our republic’s sons.