Do they want autocracy in India?
Post-Mumbai terror attacks, there has been a growing feeling of disenchantment towards the political class in the country. This is partly because of the insensitive way in which some politicians dealt with the terror attacks and the failure of the political class to stem the spectre called terror that keeps bearing down on the country at frequent intervals. And there is a tendency to glorify the country’s army, after NSG forces flushed out the terrorists.
Though the frustration towards the political class is understandable, the tendency to look down on politics is inimical to the very concept of democracy. It is born out of a kind of patriotism that is both apolitical and irresponsible. Those who are hero-worshipping the NSG commandos as though they are Bollywood heroes just don’t give a damn to the damning reports that the proof vests provided to three top anti-terrorist officers, all of whom were murdered, had been of substandard quality -- from a batch that had earlier been rejected.
One can see a clear case of bureaucratic bungling in the purchase of these jackets, as the murky world of defence material procurement is mired in the dirty world of corruption and big money. And what about Navy’s failure in heeding to the intelligence inputs regarding the attacks?
But who is concerned about facts? Fuelled by those jingoistic and bombastic TV channels, India’s elite class is clamouring for war. Is war a reality show where they can indulge in the SMS game?
The veneration of army and disliking for the political class has reached a feverish pitch. Such trends will groom apolitical tendencies in our society. We can see what is happening in countries like Pakistan and Myanmar where the army gained the upper hand and democracy was trampled upon.
Indian democracy may be ailing and needs immediate treatment. But despite all the shortcomings and problems, it still delivers, though slowly. And it is one of the important aspects that keeps the country united.
Democracy is not the best. But there is no better system other than democracy. And history tells us that no army-ruled state has ever succeeded.
That we have inept politicians and a system that works in the most inefficient way possible is not a justification for denouncing democracy and extolling the army, which in turn can result in nothing but autocracy. Let me quote ex-babu Babu Paul IAS, who has served for four decades: “An IAS or IPS officer can never match the experience of a seasoned politician, who has passed through tumultuous experiences in life...One swallow doesn’t make a spring.”
We should learn from history and what’s happening around us. India has gone through the travails of Indira Gandhi’s tyrannical dictatorship codenamed as Emergency. Those who have lived through those hellish days under her dictatorship know how it is to be living in a democracy.
Though the frustration towards the political class is understandable, the tendency to look down on politics is inimical to the very concept of democracy. It is born out of a kind of patriotism that is both apolitical and irresponsible. Those who are hero-worshipping the NSG commandos as though they are Bollywood heroes just don’t give a damn to the damning reports that the proof vests provided to three top anti-terrorist officers, all of whom were murdered, had been of substandard quality -- from a batch that had earlier been rejected.
One can see a clear case of bureaucratic bungling in the purchase of these jackets, as the murky world of defence material procurement is mired in the dirty world of corruption and big money. And what about Navy’s failure in heeding to the intelligence inputs regarding the attacks?
But who is concerned about facts? Fuelled by those jingoistic and bombastic TV channels, India’s elite class is clamouring for war. Is war a reality show where they can indulge in the SMS game?
The veneration of army and disliking for the political class has reached a feverish pitch. Such trends will groom apolitical tendencies in our society. We can see what is happening in countries like Pakistan and Myanmar where the army gained the upper hand and democracy was trampled upon.
Indian democracy may be ailing and needs immediate treatment. But despite all the shortcomings and problems, it still delivers, though slowly. And it is one of the important aspects that keeps the country united.
Democracy is not the best. But there is no better system other than democracy. And history tells us that no army-ruled state has ever succeeded.
That we have inept politicians and a system that works in the most inefficient way possible is not a justification for denouncing democracy and extolling the army, which in turn can result in nothing but autocracy. Let me quote ex-babu Babu Paul IAS, who has served for four decades: “An IAS or IPS officer can never match the experience of a seasoned politician, who has passed through tumultuous experiences in life...One swallow doesn’t make a spring.”
We should learn from history and what’s happening around us. India has gone through the travails of Indira Gandhi’s tyrannical dictatorship codenamed as Emergency. Those who have lived through those hellish days under her dictatorship know how it is to be living in a democracy.
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