Ram Ka Naam Badnaam Na Karo!

Everything the government does or implements are now transformed into Modi Guarantee series. Worse still, Modi himself takes pride in emphasising on Double Engine Sarkaar. This means nothing but the Centre’s schemes and their benefits would accrue only to the BJP-run States

Former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu always gives a good copy for journalists. I loved (and continue to do so) his wit, pun and to-the-point phrases. In today’s context, what he had said during his visit to Ayodhya in April 2022 makes a lot of sense. He said: The reconstruction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is a moment of spiritual renaissance in India. I am sure that this temple will continue to inspire the coming generations to respect our rich cultural heritage and show them the path of truth, justice and brotherhood.”

One sincerely hopes that Lord Ram and the temple will navigate India and, more so, its religious-minded politicians through the path of truth, justice and brotherhood. This applies to all the four pillars of democracy – The Legislature, The Executive, The Judiciary and of course the media.

I was hesitating to bring in the judiciary and media into this, but I changed my mind after what Chief Justice of India said after his recent visits to Somnath and Dwaraka temples and the media going ga-ga over the BJP’s runup to the Pran Pratishtha of Lord Sri Ram at Ayodhya temple. The Indian Express quoted the CJI as saying: “I was inspired this morning by the dhwaja at Dwarkadhish ji, very similar to the dhwaja, which I saw at Jagannath Puri. But look at this universality of the tradition in our nation, which binds all of us together. This dhwaja has a special meaning for us. And that meaning which the dhwaja gives us is – there is some unifying force above all of us, as lawyers, as judges, as citizens. And that unifying force is our humanity, which is governed by the rule of law and by the Constitution of India.”

This was perhaps the first time that the Chief Justice of India visited temples and then kept himself open to media glare. That apart, what he said about the Constitution should again be the guiding principle for us in India. What he said about the unifying force is of immense importance in today’s context when we see an appalling divide – political, religious, social and economic. I only hope, very sincerely, that the judiciary from the Supreme Court down to the district courts do draw inspiration from the CJI’s thoughts and ensure that justice is not only delivered but be seen as delivered in accordance with the Constitution.

Let us also remind ourselves what Justice Chandrachud had said in his first comment after taking the oath, as reported by Hindustan Times, he “will serve the common people. You will see in the days to come -- be it in terms of technology or registry reforms, or judicial reforms.” “It is a great opportunity and responsibility. Not only through words, but through my work, I will ensure that people keep faith in Judiciary,” he had said.

Sample this. The data of undertrials in India is mind boggling as there has been a constant rise. The National Crime Records Bureau says there are 4,34,302 undertrial prisoners in the country as on December 31, 2022, the Rajya Sabha was informed.

Another media report says that 75 per cent of the prisoners in India are awaiting trial. Please note what President Droupadi Murmu told the courts and the government at the Law Day event in November 2022: “I hear these days that we will have to make new prisons because prisons are overcrowded. If we are moving towards progress as a society, why do we need new jails? We should be closing down existing ones.” Perfect.

The President expressed her anguish when said in September last that “due to the abundance of cases pending in the courts, a large number of undertrial prisoners are forced to stay in the jail”. She said the judiciary, government and police administration should think about undertrial prisoners who are lodged in jails for minor crimes, and find a solution. She was right. Doesn’t the Constitution guarantee equal rights and equality before law for all citizens. If the denial of bail to a high-profile editor gets an urgent attention from the Supreme Court, the thousands of undertrials too, need judicial attention.

The political prisoners are not the only ones who are languishing in jails. As the President said even those accused of petty crimes too are jailed for years. Then there could be many men and women rotting in jails even without an iota of evidence being produced by the investigation agencies. The CJI is expected to take cognisance of the tareek-pe-tareek culture even at the Supreme Court. Are we expecting too much from the custodians of the Constitution that guarantees freedom, right to live and equality before law. Will the CJI’s vision of a unifying force ever come true where there is so much inequality before the law that is being practised and pampered?

Now, let us turn to Ram Rajya and current politics. If the BJP rulers swear by Ram Rajya, they need to have a clean heart and walk-the-talk. The way the opposition is being chased with allegations of corruption and wrongdoings and the way the investigation agencies give clean chits to those who join the ruling party speaks volumes of the way the followers of Maryada Purshottam behave. Of course, in today’s politics, where is the scope for clean heart and clear conscience!

Let me air my concerns over the media in this Ram Rajya! Ravish Kumar said the other day that there are a hundred news channels that can be categorised as the Godi Media which do not question the government. The media’s basic job is to question and keep questioning. If you cannot or do not want to question, you are expected to at least do straight reporting. But you are not certainly expected to say, rather shout, that one does not have to go to a hospital when one falls sick; One should just visit a temple! How obnoxious! Having faith in God is fine, but this kind of a statement by a so-called journalist on national TV (owned by a big industrialist who also runs hospitals) is simply unacceptable. Last week, we had the spectacle of TV OB van carrying the BJP’s political slogan – Mandir Wahin Bana (reminiscent of Mandir Wahin Banega!)

In over 45 years of my journalism, I have never seen any media person promoting religion so blatantly as is being done today. Once upon a time, we used to blame certain political or religious leaders for propagating hatred. But now, we see an increasing number of Bhakts among journalists shouting at high decibel levels in support of Hinduism and Hindutva. This is nothing but brainwashing the society so that the people do not think of anything else other than religion. No wonder, some people say that they are not bothered if petrol prices go up to Rs 2,000 a litre. They want Modi rule, come what may! Now the question is how long will this euphoria last. As Issac Newton once said, what goes up must come down.

In previous columns, we discussed how the officialdom from IAS officers to Anganwadi workers and post masters are being utilised to propagate the Vikasit Bharat Yatra which is a pre-election political propaganda on Modi's Guarantee platform. Everything the government does or implements are now transformed into Modi Guarantee series. Worse still, Modi himself takes pride in emphasising on Double Engine Sarkaar. This means nothing but the Centre’s schemes and their benefits would accrue only to the BJP-run States. Isn’t this a gross injustice to taxpayers of non-BJP-ruled States? Do they pay less tax than Double Engine States?

Those who raise Jai Sri Ram slogans conveniently forget that in Ram Rajya, the feelings, opinions and rights of the smallest of small people were respected. The King’s welfare was meant for all. In Ram Rajya, there was no question of the King pampering his favourites and running down others. There was no scope for Double Engine type partiality in Ram Rajya.

The Constitution also reflects the same principles when it declares India to be a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic committed to Justice, Equality and Liberty for the people. Modi Guarantee should go by this and not on politically divisive lines, as the Prime Minister belongs to the entire nation, the 140-crore people as he always says, and not just to the BJP. Media ought to be asking such questions. But nothing seems to matter to them in the current hype and din over Ayodhya and Ram temple.

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