It is distressing to note that of late, opponents of different political parties have adopted the most vulgar way of expressing their protest, dissatisfaction and anger while addressing their grievances. The rival political camp has let loose a rebellion against the policies and programmes in their anti establishment drive against the political party in power.
On many occasions, it is seen that the political parties who are in opposition have spearheaded their scandalous attack against the Government and its activities in most ugly manner, even sometimes by manhandling the political leaders and the party legislators who are in the Government. There are glaring instances when the rival political parties and their henchmen on certain occasions were found throwing eggs, rotten tomatoes and even cow dung at political leaders and officials at the meeting place. This recent trend of throwing eggs at the ministers, political leaders, legislators and other dignitaries on the dais at the meeting place is a brutal, barbaric and most uncivilised way of expressing protest on any public issue. This mind set of the Opposition is against democratic principles and opposed to the rule of law. This is also against our culture in a democratic country like ours.
The Constitution has guaranteed the fundamental rights to every citizen and political parties and the media to express their opinion freely. This has been envisaged and amplified in Article 19 of the Constitution of India. Every citizen, organisation, and the political parties have the fundamental rights to form their own association and union. They can also assemble and hold meetings but without arms.
According to the constitutional mandate, every citizen, social organization and political party can express their grievance and raise protest against the Government on any issue, programme, plan and policy in a peaceful and democratic manner. They can address their grievance by way of making representation, by holding peace full demonstration, sometimes even by sitting on dharna. They have also the right to agitate to put fourth their demand by sitting on hunger strike, there by inviting squarely the attention of the Government for immediate solution of their problem.
In this backdrop, it is most unfortunate that of late, the rival political parties and opposition leaders in their anti establishment drive have adopted a notorious path and vulgar way of hurling eggs, rotten tomato and sometimes cow dung to the Ministers, MPs and MlAs at the meeting place and en route to the dais to express their resentment, anger and dissatisfaction about the policy of the party in power. This is a most unhealthy trend and undemocratic way of addressing on any public issue. This approach and mindset of the Opposition is against our rich cultural ethos and heritage.
It is gratifying that Mahatma Gandhi got independence of the country from foreign yoke by adopting the golden path of ‘Ahimsha’ or nonviolence and ‘Satyagraha’ or non-cooperation. These principle or ‘Mantra’ of ‘Ahinsha’ and ‘Satyagraha’ propagated and practised by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation, is not only confined to the geographical boundary of India but it has spread to the other parts of the world. Therefore, it can be well said that in the land of Mahatma Gandhi, to protest against the policy and programme of the Government by throwing eggs at the political leader at the meeting place is certainly the most barbarous way of ventilating grievance or protest of any kind. Needless to say, throwing eggs at somebody out of anger, frustration and dissatisfaction is a criminal offence liable for punishment. This is despicable behaviour in a public place and is against the democratic spirit. Such act committed at the instance of the
Opposition must be condemned in strongest possible terms, besides prosecution of the offender. We have got a representative or ‘participatory democracy’. Hence, any issue raised by the Opposition camp can be solved peacefully by way of representation, mutual discussion, conciliation and deliberation with the Government in a spirit of rapprochement and with a sense of appeasement, not by creating violence or throwing eggs at the meeting place of the leaders in a most scandalous or vulgar manner.
Very recently, the Chief Minister of Odisha visited Baleswar district to oversee some Government activities and programmes. The CM while addressing a public meeting, a lady present at the place hurled eggs at the dais. This vulgar way of expressing anger or protest should not have been done at the instance of the rival political party in such ugly manner. Due to this dastardly act and diabolical designs of the Opposition camp, which was premeditated, the prestige of the CM was not affected in any manner who still continues to be the leader of the masses but the political opponents who have engineered this plan and used this lady as an instrument for throwing eggs are now exposed and their prestige has come to a low ebb in the eyes of the right thinking members of the society. It is the greatness of the Chief Minister that he has directed for withdrawal of the prosecution against the lady. ‘To err is human and to forgive is divine’.
(Prof Das is a former CBI Special Judge, who lives in Bhubaneswar)