LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

June 16--30, 2005 - Vol. 14, No. 12

Mandate 5 percent, daadagiri 100 percent

The mid of August 14 night in 1947. The Union Jack, the symbol of our slavery at the hands of foreigners was being lowered. As the clock struck 12, the Indian tricolour went up signalling that India was a free nation. The person who unfurled the national flag then was a Congressman.

But the night of May 22 this year was quite different. At the dead of night the same Congress murdered democracy in Bihar and crucified the Indian constitution with its own hands. Mark the difference between the two nights and the two Congress organisations, the one in 1947 and the other now. The dead of earlier night ushered in a dawn of democracy and the one on May 22 snatched democracy. The way the elected representatives of the people from Bihar, who had as yet been denied their constitutional right to take oath were unceremoniously shown the door from the house of democracy in a most unceremonious, unconstitutional, undemocratic, autocratic manner by a Congress which boasts to be the one which won freedom and democracy for the country and pretends to be its protector. This black deed has left an indelible stamp of blackness on Congress face.

What an irony that a Vidhan Sabha which had not so far been formally constituted has been dissolved - an act of political infant foeticide. The election process is set in motion to elect a popular government and not to impede its formation. It is never intended to impose a President's rule defying the people's verdict whatever it may be. Can the Governor Buta Singh tell the nation what efforts did he make to help form a government in Bihar? If there was any horse-trading, as he alleged in his report, who were the individuals traded and by whom? If those who have been entrusted with the duty to protect the Constitution become the looters of honour and prestige of the Constitution, what will happen to this country? The way the UPA has indulged in a deliberate and sustained campaign to erode the authority of the Constitution during the last year is a matter of concern for the whole nation. In democracy such an ignominious gross disrespect to people's mandate has no parallel in history.

It is a repeat of the gone-by fascist, feudal era when the word of the king was the law, the fact. If he declared a living man dead, he had to be treated as dead by his subjects. Nobody could question his fiat. And this is what has been done in Bihar. A live assembly has been declared dead at the dead of night and the rulers are claiming: did we not say it is not alive; it is dead? There is a definite sectarian motive behind this assault on democracy. Bihar was moving towards formation of a popular government with the emergence of a consensus and majority - the purpose for which the assembly had earlier been kept in suspended animation. A group of 130 MLAs against the mandatory figure of 122 was emerging fast. When 17 independent MLAs declared their unconditional support to NDA and it became quite clear that the next morning was to witness the dawn of a popular government under Shri Nitish Kumar, all of a sudden it struck to the Governor Buta Singh that horse-trading was taking place. He forgot that on his own recommendation the Assembly had initially been kept under suspended animation only in the hope that during this period with some permutation and combination of political forces will emerge a popular government. This only points to the fact that if the situation had taken the turn for the better for UPA the Governor would have been blinded to any blatant act of "horse-trading" but since the situation was going to help NDA it became an unbearable irritant in his eyes. It would also have been a breach of the brief received by Shri Buta Singh from those who made him cosy in the Patna Raj Bhawan. Not to displease his masters he trampled down his feet the mandate of the people and butchered democracy. In the process got unmasked the real face of Congress as a party which has faith neither in the Constitution, nor in the law, nor in principles, nor in tradition and nor in moral values. What serves its narrow political interests is the supreme law for it.

It is immaterial who forms the government. There is no convincing explanation why all of a sudden had the President's rule been imposed? Is Shri Buta Singh playing into the hands of Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav? The moot question remains: Will the country be run on the dictates of the Constitution or those who believe in might is right, or on the directions of murderers? A cat stealthily gulps the milk in the kitchen and yet remains pretty sure that nobody has seen her, only because all the while she keeps her eyes shut. The same is true of Shri Buta Singh. Everybody knows the truth. He cannot save his skin from the crime he committed against the Constitution. One day he will definitely be made answerable for all his acts of omission and commission. At that time nobody will come to his rescue, neither Shri Lalu, nor the Congress subsisting on the crutches of Shri Lalu, nor the Lalu brigade conspirators.

People's mandate commands a great respect in democracy as it is the collective wisdom, well thought out valuable opinion acceptable to all. It has nothing to do with vote politics. It is the voice of the people, their faith and thinking. In connivance with Shri Lalu Yadav and under fear of communists the Congress has made a mockery of the Constitution and the people's verdict. It is giving birth to a new political culture in the country. What will be the end result? Only time will tell. In a house of 243, Congress commanded a poor representation of just five percent but has usurped the full right to be the sole arbiter to decide Bihar's fate. It is sheer hypocrisy, sheer lack of sense of shame to assume a right people of Bihar had stoutly denied to it in February 2005 poll. But should Congress stoop so low in its greed to seek power at all costs by hook or by crook, in an unconstitutional manner if denied according to the Constitution?

The Constitution of India embodies in itself the hopes, aspirations, faith, the will and the very struggle of people of India for a better and brighter tomorrow. It is not an ordinary piece of paper; it signifies the very soul, culture and moral values of the nation.

What has been achieved in Bihar is nothing less than the dishonourable disrobing of the Constitution, the way Duryodhana did the cheerharan of Draupadi in Mahabharata. The modern Duryodhanas will certainly meet their fate and Lord Krishna will definitely appear to save the honour of the Constitution. But when? After two months or six months, it may not be too easy to foretell today.

All these people have colluded to collectively effect the cold-blooded murder of democracy. And the right place for such criminals is the jail. The coming elections in Bihar will show their place to those indulging in activities in violation of the Constitution. But those who believe in democracy, who respect the letter and spirit of the Constitution, too, will have to fight a long, lasting battle to re-establish the rule and authority of law and the Constitution. If they succeed in communicating their message to the people in right earnest, people will certainly assert their authority and right. They will avenge the disrespect shown to their mandate and teach the perpetrators of the crimes against Constitution a lasting lesson.