Democracy tumbles in temple of democracy

One fails to understand what this government is scared of and why it is hesitant to face opposition’s questions. On the one hand its Ministers say in front of TV cameras that they are open to free and frank discussion in Parliament on any issue, while on the other they block the opposition and take every possible step to silence them

One fails to understand what this government is scared of and why is it hesitant to face opposition’s questions. On the one hand its Ministers say in front of TV cameras that they are open to free and frank discussion in Parliament on any issue, while on the other they block the opposition and take every possible step to silence them.

“It is not only a building. It is a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians. This is the temple of our democracy giving the message of India’s determination to the world.” – Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023.

Modi also said, India is not only a democratic nation, but also the mother of democracy. Today, India is also a major base of global democracy. He keeps highlighting this point even during his trips abroad. But in Parliament House, he seems to forget these lofty ideals. Examples are dime a dozen. His own BJP members fly abuses at opposition MPs and go scot free. The opposition members, on the contrary, face expulsions from the House and trolls across the social media, apart from bashing from the Godi media. The latest in the series of the violation of democratic values, as the opposition says, is the expulsion of Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in a cash-for-query scam which was not even proved. She was not even allowed to react to the Ethics Committee report holding her guilty of the scam as well as unauthorisedly sharing her Parliament log-in details with Darshan Hiranandani and demanding and accepting gifts. Even during the Ethics Committee interrogation, she was subjected to insulting questions such as who she was talking to at midnight.

As regards cash being exchanged, the committee said it wanted to candidly point out that it did not have the technical wherewithal and expertise to criminally investigate and unearth the money trail. The committee, therefore, recommended that the cash transaction between Mahua Moitra and Darshan Hiranandani as a part of ‘quid pro quo’ could be investigated by the Government of India in a time-bound manner. So, even before this third-party investigation was done, she was meted out the strongest punishment. Mahua has been screaming all along that there is not even an iota of evidence of the alleged cash payments running into over Rs 2 crores. The opposition got barely a couple of hours to read about the 500- page ethics committee report and express their views.

Some BJP members “managed” to read and even comment and as a youtuber Ambuj Kumar said lawyers and judges could take lessons from these MPs on quick reading and grasping such voluminous documents.

Flashback to Modi’s statement at the Parliament House inauguration : “Democracy is not just a system for us; it is a culture, an idea, a tradition. Our Vedas teach us the democratic ideals of Sabhas and Samitis… Our democracy is our inspiration, our Constitution is our resolve. Our Parliament is the best representative of this inspiration and resolution. And this Parliament declares the rich culture that the one who stops, his luck also stops. But the one who keeps going, his fate moves ahead, touches new heights. And therefore, one should keep going.

The Modi government’s respect for democracy can be gauged from the fact that President Droupadi Murmu was not invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament House and she merely posted a tweet. Ideally, the first citizen should have done the inauguration.

After all that rhetoric about democratic culture, the BJP led by Modi stops the opposition from questioning the government in Parliament and even outside. On the contrary, the ruling dispensation fully enjoys the freedom to say whatever they like and hurl choicest abuses at the opposition. Some of these utterances, though not expunged from Parliamentary records, are not printable. We all know what happened to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and AAP member Sanjay Singh for speaking against the Modi government and raising uncomfortable questions.

One fails to understand what this government is scared of and why it is hesitant to face opposition’s questions. On the one hand its Ministers say in front of TV cameras that they are open to free and frank discussion in Parliament on any issue, while on the other they block the opposition and take every possible step to silence them. This, despite the brute majority that the BJP enjoys. The flexing of muscles has been proved with the voice vote with which Mahua Moitra was expelled. The Lok Sabha Speaker read out the resolution to expel Mahua without even looking up, put it to vote and declared the House’s approval saying the Ayes have it, Ayes have it without even looking at the nays!

Speaker Om Birla quoted precedence set by his predecessors in support of his action of not giving an opportunity to the accused. BJP MPs also cited examples of the Congress Government expelling nine members in 2005 conveniently forgetting the fact that these accused were caught on camera accepting cash for questions. Even if one assumes for a minute that the then Congress government’s action was wrong, I would like to ask whether two wrongs do one right?

There are many questions that arise against this government and one of them is – how long will you keep on digging into history and misquoting incidents as they suit your convenience?

I would like to quote Modi again. “Our India started its new journey after losing a lot after servitude… This ‘Amrit Kaal’ of Independence is the ‘Amrit Kaal’ to forge new dimensions of development while preserving the heritage. This ‘Amrit Kaal’ of Independence is the ‘Amrit Kaal’ to give a new direction to the country. This ‘Amrit Kaal’ of Independence is the ‘Amrit Kaal’ to realise infinite dreams and innumerable aspirations.”

And I would like to remind Modi that he must walk the talk and lead his party and the country by example to forge new dimensions while preserving the heritage. Modi appears to have forgotten what he said only on May 28 that the new Parliament House will elevate that belief to new heights. He went on to say: “It will serve as a source of inspiration for all of us in the building of a developed India. This Parliament House will awaken the sense of duty in every Indian. I believe that the representatives who sit in this Parliament will strive to give a new direction to democracy with renewed inspiration. We must move forward with the spirit of Nation First.”

But if you ask me whether Modi sticks to what he says, the answer is a big no. The actions by his MPs do not certainly inspire any sense of building a new India. On the contrary, remind us of fascist days. The abuses that the undisciplined MPs shower on the opposition apart, the way Brijbhushan Saran Singh is still being shielded despite the Delhi police filing FIRs in sexual harassment of women wrestlers does not inspire any confidence in democracy. The way the police sought to crush the voice of the victimised women wrestlers - Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sangeeta Phogat - does not definitely speak of any democratic values.

As India Today reported, the then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh "outraged the modesty" of the women wrestlers who filed harassment charges against him at every opportunity he could get, the Delhi Police told a court on Saturday. Delhi's Rouse Avenue court was hearing arguments for framing of charges against Brij Bhushan after the chargesheet was filed in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, an accused in a case of alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers, submitted in a Delhi court that “hugging or touching a woman without sexual intent is not an offence,” The Hindu reported.

One wonders as to where are the National Women’s Commission (NWC) and the women and child welfare Minister who remained silent on the sexual harassment of the medal winning women wrestlers.

While accusing the opposition and the non-BJP governments of practising corrupt practices, Modi must set his own house in order. He talked of prioritising our responsibilities, upholding our duties above all. Then he went on to say “We must set an example through our conduct… We must constantly strive for self-improvement. We must create our own path¬¬. We must discipline ourselves, introspect, and practice self-restraint.

“When we fulfil our responsibilities with honesty in this new Parliament House, the citizens of the country will also find new inspiration,” Modi said.

I think the yawning gap between what the PM and other Ministers utter and what they do will continue to widen as long as the communication remains a one-way traffic and people do not assert their democratic right to question.

(The columnist is a Mumbai-based author and independent media veteran, running websites and a youtube channel known for his thought-provoking messaging.)