The government and the nation

There are times when the ruling party believes that it is the nation. Therefore any criticism of the party is taken by the government to mean an act that is “anti-national, or anti-state.” The party in power assumes the mantle of a judge of public behavior. They impose their will on the people and punish those who take out demonstrations, publish articles, or give speeches that the government believes goes against them; this in a democratic nation is intolerable.

In India, the Congress government under Mrs Gandhi, often came down heavily on dissenters (even when the Emergency had not been declared!) protesting against policies of the government. The government was also guilty of banning books, flayed by the party men who never read it.. The present ruling party, BJP, along with the Hindu outfits, have indulged in the same game. They have come down heavily against cultural freedom, they have assumed that people who are independent thinkers are “anti-national.” Indian constitution grants freedom of thought and expression, the parties in power assume the mantle of abrogating these.

It isn’t just the party at the center, there are states that have governments who believe that their government is the custodian of public thought and morality. They seek to legitimize such action by brute force of their strength in the legislative assembly! Often editorial offices have been vandalized and journalists put behind bars. Activists working with minorities and indigenous people have been victims of the wrath of the state. They have been incarcerated on specious grounds. The Right to Information (RTI) activists have even lost their lives in pursuit  of the truth.

Such is the state of our democracy. Matters that need to be debated in the spirit of free exchange of ideas, respecting each others opinion is totally absent. Trivial issues come to the fore and the vigilante groups assume central role.