Attack on US Capitol exposes fissures in American society

The unprecedented attack on the United States Capitol on Wednesday by those widely believed to be the diehard supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump, left the world stunned. The assault was clearly aimed at stalling the certification process undertaken by the US Congress to confirm the victory of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in the November 3 elections.

Going by the poll results, Biden secured majority votes in the Electoral College that elects US President, but maverick Trump steadfastly refused to concede his defeat. Moreover, he repeatedly levelled allegations of election fraud day in and day out and knocked at the doors of one court or the other, seeking justice.

But none of the courts entertained his pleas. However, some of his hardcore supporters seemed to be toeing his line. That's what the unexpected attack on the US Capitol, the symbol of the American democracy, revealed. In a shocking display of lawlessness, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol and climbed on to the walls of the domed building where the federal legislative bodies of the US, transact its business.

Trump added fuel to the fire by once again reiterating that he would not concede defeat. In the ensuing violence, one of Trump's female supporters was shot dead. A total of four people died in the ghastly assault.

Fortunately, the US Congress, which abruptly stopped proceedings following the attack, subsequently completed the confirmation process after curfew was clamped down in the area and the situation was brought under control. Otherwise, the US would have slipped into further chaos. Of course, Donald Trump also yielded finally.

But the fact of the matter is that a superpower like the US, which is known for its democratic credentials, going through such a disgraceful event is surprising. This incident clearly exposed deep fissures in American society. Though Trump failed to get re-elected, he received a substantial backing of the voters in many States. That clearly reflected in the Electoral College votes that he managed to win.

In this backdrop, new President Biden has his task cut out. On the one hand, white people seem to be worried about being marginalised in their own country while there are allegations of widespread racism. The new President will have to heal all the wounds and unify the American society.

Otherwise, the fissures will widen, and the world's only superpower will find itself in disarray. That's neither good for the US nor for the world. It's high time the US introspects as to what has gone wrong and takes immediate remedial measures. Blaming Trump for all the bad and leaving the issue at that will not serve any meaningful purpose.