There is an old Russian saying, “Trust, but verify.” If the public unquestioningly accepts the dictates of rulers
Niraj Krishna
There is an old Russian saying, “Trust, but verify.” If the public unquestioningly accepts the dictates of rulers without asking questions, it is not good news for any country. Remember, power is not afraid of guns and bullets; it fears your questions. It fears the books you hold in your hands; it fears your education. If you read, you will ask questions. Hitler feared these questions, which is why he said that if you want to rule a country for a long time, first gain control over the minds of the people. Eliminate their ability to question, think, understand, and argue. If there are no questions, power is not in jeopardy.
Power has its own intoxication, a unique passion. The higher you climb in power, the deeper your feet sink into its abyss. Being in power is everyone’s desire because it comes with limitless powers that individuals use to pursue their physical interests, always clinging to the throne.
The political landscape that reflects society is undergoing a strange and astonishing phase. Power is riding the horse of religious nationalism on a global victory campaign. Even in opposition, it remains unchallenged. In the current scenario, there seems to be no institution or organization essential for democracy that challenges power. The fundamental mantra of democracy, the “checks and balances,” is something no one wants to remember.
Institutions that strengthen democracy appear to be involved in undermining it. From the common man to the judiciary, everyone is praising power, with the complicity of the media. The fourth pillar of democracy, responsible for bringing all these together on a straight path, seems to have disappeared. Indian politics will have its golden era when Lohia alone was the entire opposition.
It is not known how much the younger generation knows about Lohia. It is also unclear whether the generation born in the 90s or later, which has witnessed a decline in social values in every aspect, remembers Lohia and how it commemorates him. Whether it does or not remains doubtful. Lohia used to say, “If you want change, come to the streets; sitting under the government’s trust for five years will achieve nothing.”
Humans are a living community, and “living communities do not wait for five years.” This was the era of politics when colossal humanists like Nehru overshadowed the political stage. This was the golden era of Congress and Nehru. In the struggle for independence, the Congress, and Nehru, Gandhi’s trusted disciple, were at the center of power. No one expected anyone to challenge Nehru. Lohia did that. The debate on “three annas” brought Nehru to his knees. One of the splendid debates related to public interest is still remembered today.
It is often believed that those who ask questions are always considered analytical, meaning those who learn to argue are inclined to ask questions. However, now those who ask questions are being branded as anti-national or as those who criticize the system by going against the country. Accusing those who question or criticize the system is becoming the hallmark of contemporary politics. Throughout history, whenever someone sitting in power has been questioned by people who represent the public, they have always had to bear heavy infamy. It is common to see people in power using all kinds of tactics to keep the opposition silent, trapping them in twisted cases, humiliating them, and making them accused in false cases. In other words, people in power never face questions.
Where is the country’s politics ultimately heading? This question has now started to linger in the minds of every individual. Questioning those in power implies raising concerns against the country’s system. Why is questioning authority becoming a crime?
Every leader reaching the Parliament, having been elected from their respective constituencies, is expected to uphold the rights and interests of the people. If they cannot voice issues like the protection of the people’s rights and interests in the assembly, then who will be held accountable? However, this is no longer the case. If you are aligned with the government, there is no need to fear anyone. You can say whatever you want in the assembly, and there will be no consequences. In fact, your promotion is guaranteed. However, if opposition leaders question those in power in the assembly, they are subjected to all ethical and legal scrutiny. Why did you say that? You shouldn’t have said that, and so on. They are grilled with all sorts of arguments. In the past nine years, 93 members of the Lok Sabha and 48 members of the Rajya Sabha have been suspended on various charges, while no action has been taken against any member of the ruling party.
It is unfortunate that there is now less debate and more chaos in Parliament. A trend has developed where, at the beginning of each parliamentary session, a news story surfaces in the media that creates chaos. As a result, the proceedings are disrupted, and only chaos prevails throughout the session. This discord continues until the last day. Amidst the chaos, many bills are passed without proper debate. Only a few bills are denied the President’s signature, so laws are made without appropriate discussion.
Parliament should organize itself in such a way that, in the future, no law is enacted without proper debate and without listening to the opposition’s views.
Members of Parliament know that if there will be no debate, staying awake all night doing homework to speak on a topic is futile. Even if there is a debate, it often devolves into baseless allegations without facts. There was a time when the Parliament was filled with articulate speakers; MPs and the media eagerly awaited their speeches. Their speeches revealed new perspectives, and other MPs had the opportunity to learn how to present arguments for or against an issue.
The system we are talking about is not today’s system. Those in power today were once in the opposition, and those in the opposition today were once in power and could be in power again. When the BJP was not in power, disruptions were observed in Parliament. It is time for all parties to come together and decide what the protocol for opposition or protest should be.
Regarding obstructing action by the opposition, the current ruling party, the BJP, has already considered it as its legitimate tool. Late Sushma Swaraj and late Arun Jaitley, when they were in Parliament, considered it essential to work towards impeding Parliament’s functioning. Their argument was not entirely unfounded. When a dominant ruling party is not in the mood to accept any opposition views, what other path does the opposition have? When the BJP was in the opposition, it believed in this strategy. Now that the anti-BJP parties are in opposition, they feel that by disrupting parliamentary proceedings, they can assert the significance of their presence.
The result is in front of the country. Another session of Parliament has washed away. The wastage is not only of the expenses incurred in running Parliament but also the wasted opportunity to conduct its business. According to an estimate, every minute of parliamentary proceedings costs one and a half lakh rupees! This means millions of rupees are spent on each session. And all this goes down the drain when something happens in our Parliament, as it did in this session. But who is concerned about it?
Concern should be present in the citizens of this country. The public should question their government about whether they were placed in power because they stubbornly insisted on pursuing their political interests, which had no significance. Now the question arises, does the public use its right? Does it fulfill its duty? Politicians elected to legislative bodies are not just our leaders; they are representatives. It is our right to keep an eye on their actions. If they are doing something good, we should applaud them, and if they are not working according to our expectations, it is our duty to question them.
The truth is that the success and importance of democracy depend on the activism and awareness of both citizens. How active and aware are we? In today’s election atmosphere, our representatives are making claims and promises. Political parties are accusing each other, claiming to be transparent about their shortcomings. Interestingly, our politicians, who until yesterday were calling the opposition’s faults dirty, now have no hesitation in adopting those very faults themselves.
This fight for ideas and values should not only take place in the parliament but also be visible on the streets. If the parliament is silent, then the voice should rise from the streets. This voice belongs to the informed citizens of the country. How aware are we, the citizens, of our duties and rights? Socialist thinker Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia used to say, ‘If the streets become silent, the parliament will become wanderer.’ Looking at the behavior of our representatives inside the houses, it has become necessary for the citizens of the country to raise their voices on the streets. It is essential to avoid the hidden agenda of politicians, to see and evaluate their claims. Only then will democracy survive and be meaningful.
The politics of today and the resulting civic response suggest that in India, ‘political understanding’ and ‘awareness of rights’ are at their lowest levels. Indian citizens are at their lowest level of understanding when it comes to their leaders. When the government fears the people, there is freedom. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. Democracy is an illusion that dictators use to make people responsible for their tyranny.
Ask questions… Ask for yourself… Ask to save your generation… When you stop asking questions, you silence your voice and the voice of your generation. Even more than that, you will surrender the freedom given by the constitution to the hands of death. Therefore, ask questions because these questions are evidence of your being alive. Because living communities ask questions; the dead do not speak.
