Draupadi’s Vastraharan – The Disrobing of India
Like most of you, I watched and read about the proceedings of the last few days with a sense of sadness and great shame…Amidst all this, these words by Radha Rajan touched a raw nerve… Please read and think…(emphasis added)
*** The Nation as Draupadi ***
Parliament on 22nd July resembled the court of the Kauravas with the Speaker playing Dritharashtra. Every individual in parliament on that day, notwithstanding the party to which he or she belonged, was some character in the shameful court and I was the nation.
When the Prime Minister scornfully tabled his written response to the two-day debate with the Speaker instead of facing the Members of Parliament and addressing their concerns verbally, he was only underscoring parliament’s irrelevance in concluding international agreements and treaties.
This is a serious deficiency in the country’s democracy in theory and in practice because when parliament is rendered impotent to influence government decisions impinging on national security, it amounts to disregarding the sense of the House and the will of the people. It is a chilling truth that on that fateful day not one member in the august house, in the treasury or the opposition, faithfully represented the voter who put him or her there. As the end results proved, many of them were disloyal even to the party to which they belonged.
The Lok Sabha voted, not on the nuclear deal (it has no locus standi, as pointed out, to decide on international treaties) but on a trust vote sought by the Prime Minister on behalf of his government. Had the Prime Minister lost the trust vote, the country would have been faced with premature elections with the distinct possibility that several sitting MPs may not return to the House.
Not surprisingly, while the government did not want to fall, MPs fearful of not returning to the next Lob Sabha, also did not want the government to fall. The game of dice began and in the bizarre context of the ruling party and a section of the opposition sharing the same anxiety, the players staked the nation’s resources, her interests and eventually her dignity.
Members ready to be sold fixed their prices; and the traders flaunted their ware – from airports to Chairs – Â CBI Director, Chief Minister or Cabinet Minister, from hard currency to fancy cars, the goodies were displayed in brazen shamelessness before the nation. It was also whispered in the media that some individuals had met the Imam of Jamma Masjid before the game of dice. The nation witnessed in stupefaction as their representatives were publicly auctioned for the highest bidder.
Even as the shameless game was being played in parliament, it was a foregone conclusion that the Prime Minister would win the trust vote, not because he enjoyed the trust of the House but because the House was willing to be disrobed; every member who silenced his conscience on that day silenced his constituency comprising hundreds of thousands of Indians who elected him as their voice.
Every member who shamed himself, his party and his constituency, shamed the House and the nation. Our elected representatives demonstrated to the world that in the world’s largest democracy, we the people count for nothing.
The only three members who faithfully represented their Ummah were Owaisi, Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah; all three directed their thundering diatribe implicitly against the Hindus of the country whose voices have never been heard in parliament and were not heard on the 22nd.
But what can one make of Advani’s conduct in the shameful court and that of his partymen? The BJP broke the dreary monotony of two days of vacuous trust/no-trust speeches, when on the 22nd afternoon, three of its MPs barged into the well of the House to wave under the eyes of a bemused nation, wads of currency amounting to rupees one crore each, as money allegedly paid to them by Shri Amar Singh of the Samajwadi Party in collusion with Shri Ahmed Patel, Secretary to the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi as bribe for abstaining from voting on the motion of trust in Parliament.
All hell broke loose and wild charges and accusations were flying thick and fast inside parliament and outside, before TV cameras. Even as the MPs claimed that they had been bribed to abstain from voting, a leading 24 hour TV news channel flashed that it had caught the bribe on tape and had chosen to hand-over the tapes to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and was not going to telecast the evidence to the nation.
Shri Advani, as Leader of the Opposition and from the same party as the ‘bribe-taking’ MPs, had a strong case for demanding cancellation or postponement of the trust vote in view of the serious charge laid against the political party which constituted the ruling government and one of its chief allies.
The BJP had a moral obligation to the country at large to stall parliament and cancel voting on the motion of trust; the bottom-line being – a government facing accusations of bribing members of the house cannot morally seek a trust vote until the matter had been thoroughly investigated and the truth established beyond all doubts. The BJP attended the all-party meeting summoned by the Speaker immediately after the expose.
The BJP should have stood its ground firmly and declared that in the altered circumstances it will not permit the House to conduct the trust vote. It is incomprehensible why Shri Advani, as Leader of the Opposition allowed the BJP and the NDA to go along with the Speaker and the government’s decision to conduct the trust vote as scheduled. One cannot but help come to the conclusion that the BJP under Shri Advani begins everything with a loud explosion and then whimpers to a complete standstill – Ramjanmabhumi, Sonia’s foreign origin, Volcker Committee findings, Mitrokhin revelations and now the bribing scandal implicating Shri Ahmed Patel.
Except for Ramjanmabhumi all the other issues have a Sonia angle to them. We can only hope that this has nothing to do with Advani’s reluctance to stay the course and pursue the issues to their logical conclusion.
The Prime Minister, for the health of our democracy, must resign forthwith and the next Lok Sabha must seriously consider making it constitutionally mandatory for parliament to ratify all international treaties, agreements and laws to which India is a party or a signatory.
Shri Prakash Karat, Shri A.B. Bardhan and Shri D. Raja stood on quicksand when they separately and smugly declared that the Government and its allies did not dare bribe their party Members because the Left cannot be purchased at any price. They owe the nation an explanation for the Speaker’s adamant insistence on conducting the vote without a full investigation into the charges levelled by the three BJP MPs, even though the TV channel had handed over the footage of the ‘sting,’ and the Police Commissioner was called to Parliament House to take charge of the money and the investigations. Worse, he adjourned the House sine die. A Congress Speaker could not have served the Government better than Shri Somnath Chatterjee
Radha Rajan, 23rd July 2008
***
Related Post: N-deal: Anti-Islamic and now Anti-Sikh?
and a hope: Lets come together to build a *new* and proud India
Minor Update: Thanks to Amit, the Devanagari fonts are all OK again. धनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦, अमित !
we cannot really trust the BJP MPs, what if it was just a stunt to thwart the proceedings of Lok Sabha, also if Mr. Advani was so sure he should have walked out of parliament..have some thing on this on my blog too..the lighter side of it :)))
An apt title! All your post has it. Hats off!
Yes, one thing is for sure BJP lacks agressiveness which Congress strongly acquires. If this situation would have been with BJP Congress could have ousted BJP by now. Congress know their cards and politcs very well. Or simple,they knows the tricks of the trade.
Thanks Rahul, Indian…I have just left a comment on your blog Rahul…
*** MORE ***
From Rajinder Puri’s Op-Ed in today’s Free Press Journal (where I once worked for a brief period of time, many many years ago)
While cash-for-vote may be true, its old hat…As you point out – 117 MPs are being investigated for murder, rape, extortion etc. what’s surprising about bribing.
How does promising an MP with a cabinet post in lieu of support significantly vary from cash-for-support? I see that as a bribe as well. Cash has less strings attached. I see the solution broadly in evaluating a politician as one who is willing to publicly articulate his ideals and show an openness to being quizzed when actions are inconsistent with them. How many such politicians exist? And how many in the nation are those who do their political duty to judge before they vote? Indeed we get a government we deserve.
I know Im sounding cynical, but in the absence of hard proof this only descends into mud-slinging from both sides and the nation lamenting and moaning. But in the absence of any proof – I doubt anything will emerge – let’s keep up the moaning and lamenting – it may pierce through some relatively less thick politician skins.
Thanks Shantanu
This sordid event is but to be expected. I have no doubt that all of us are equally responsible for the sordid state of affairs. I don’t blame these poor MPs who are doing us a great service by at least trying to lead India. I blame those who could and should but refuse to lead.
I also fail to hear any logical voice in India. What do expect if we pay these MPs a pittance and then hand over the governance of a mammoth country to them. There is so much corrupt money being made in India that these few crores in the Parliament were peanuts.
What prevents those who are allegedly disgusted with these state of affairs from contesting elections? Rise and lead India or keep your peace forever. I’d say, ‘shut up’ and use even stronger words if I could. I’m extremely angry at the shame our middle classes and journalists and other ‘honest’ people bring to India by sitting on the sidelines and criticising – and doing nothing.
If you have it in you to change things then do it. Else bear it.
Regards
Sanjeev
Dear Sir,
I think all of us are getting het up on the angle of corruption and the handling of the money issue in parliament by Shri Advani.
One has to undersatnad that the BJP is fighting with its back to the wall. Being maligned in all circles, especially the noveau riche and noveau educated. Years of maligning the Hindu’s cannot be removed in twenty five years; the years the BJP has seen some MP’s in the parliament.
Not everyone has the strength of Shri Modi to stand up and say GET LOST, I think he gave it to the english media when they interviewed him during the Gujarat elections. We all liked it and spoke about it in private and enjoyed the strength of Shri. Modi.
If we really want to see the BJP stand up and say thus far and no further let us give it a shot during all the elections that to follow within the next six months and work towards it.
Let us stand up and ssay let us have the truth of all the history which has led us down all these years. Let us work at demolishing the Javed’s Azmi’s, Teest’s and others. Let us make the Agniveshe’s of this country feel the heat by not supporting him on his yatra which he is considering to take up as the book of the Arya Samaj leader is under fire by Islamic religiosists. He was aginst the BJP and has hobnobbed with he same people who are hitting him below the belt today.
Let us not have any pity. This guy joined up with the anti BJP and Hindu lobby to gain some length in the political and other arenas.
It is time we took the bull by the horn and stop bleating. Let us not once again blame corruption and the politician. We feel comfortable with it as most middle class are selfish and are not interested in their country or their countrymen.
Regards,
vck
Regards
Dear Nationalist Comrades,
I have followed the political drama which unfolded in the parliament and outside on television for a couple of days and would like to share some of my observations with you.
I am sure that media will churn out all that it considers will fetch them more mass viewership and hence advertisements and will not necessarily carry out an analysis of some of the points which are subtle and need our attention.
Minorityism raised its ugly head prominently in the speeches of most of the members which did not belong to the righ wing nationalist parties.
Most of them cried their lungs out and invoked babri demolition and godhra riots and tried to make a point that hindu fundamentalism was some how the most grave threat to the nation.
Nobody of those secular saints cared to mention the 1984 anti sikh riots, Sabarmati express carnage, and butchery of Indian soverignety over the land of jammu and Kashmir made by revoking the transfer of land to Shri Amarnath shrine board.
Nobody asked the government for the reasons why the supreme court judgement in the Parliament attack case has not been followed.
So much for their secular credentials.
Everyone referred passionately to the gujarat riots and supposed ethnic cleansing carried out in gujarat, and castigated the maharashtra government for its half hearted attempt of implimenting justice krishna report’s recommendations but nobody asked it about the action,or precisely inaction, on the justice Nanavati commission’s findings.
Some of these paragons of secularism did mention the Amannath land issue but only the blame the right wing nationalists for the bandh and disruption caused in Jammu and blamed them wholely for the trouble caused in Jammu and Kashmir. Nobody dared to mention the opinion voiced by the foreign secretary on the presence of a foreign hand in inciting the trouble in Srinagar.
They also referred to the parliament attack case only to blame the then rulers for failing to prevent an attack on parliament, but did not dare ask the government in the same breath of their secular inaction over Mohammed Afzal’s sentence.
I also want to refer to some of the speeches specifically.
Mr Akbar Owaisi of the All India Majlis Ittehadul Musalmeen- He dwelt at lenght what the UPA government had done for the “minorities” and not surprisingly, was not at all short of many many measures taken by this government to ensure that their pleasure was retained with them.
It was clear that the gentleman was focussing on the benefits cornered by a single community and if one listened to his speech it would appear that the means and end of a government was the welfare of a particular community and no other significant issues faced the nation which deserved his attention as a member of the highest legislature of the nation.
This is the same person whose lieutenants attacked the writer Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad.
Mr Omar Abdullah of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference- He passionately referred to himself as an Muslim and as an Indian, but stopped short of upholding the latter indentity over the former.
He cursed himself for being a part of the previous government and said that his conscience would never forgive him for that.
When some other members raised slogans over Amarnath issue, he got enraged and cried out- I would quote his words- “Woh hamare jameen ki baat thi! Woh hamare jameen ki baat thi aur uspar hum kabhi peeche nahi hatenge!”
The treasury benches thumped him for silencing the cries for Amarnath enthusiastically.
What he meant by “hamari jameen” and what are the implications of his brave assertions mean for India’s sovereignty are plain and simple.
Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav–
Certainly, large sections of the public and the media find him amusing and refreshing.
He posed as a bravest champion of secularism.
He made remarks towards the Akali Dal MPs for voting against a Sikh Prime Minister. He castigated them for chanting “Vaheguru ka khalsa , Vaheguru ki fateh” but still acting against a Sikh.One wonders if the same logic if applied to other minority communities would be acceptable to him.
He has a penchant for idenfying MPs by their communities and did not do anything to hide that skill.
He wondered how the hindu nationalists could call themselves “hindu” if they did not offer sacrifices to their ancestors(Pindadan) at Gaya. Apparently his understanding of hinduism was limited to that ritual itself.
He recounted how bravely he had stopped the Ram Rathyatra and sacrifised the VP Singh government on that issue. He recounted how he had sacrifised the Morarji Desai government on the dual membership issue.
He recounted the brave efforts of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s government of stopping the karseva at ayodhya (Hundreds were killed in that incident by police firing).
He mourned the “martrydom” of the disputed structure at Ayodhya and enlightened the nation that how the forces behind it were the “number one” terrorists and enemies of the nation.(Who cares about ISI,SIMI,HUJI,LeT? They are misguided youths. Who cares about Kashmiri seperatists? They are Indians somehow.)
In a similarly animated fashion he lamented over the 2002 gujarat riots.
I also watched his press briefing after the parliament was adjourned after the BJP MPs flashed the money bundles in the parliament.
Even in the huge pandemonium caused by it, he was quick to point out how a “poor MP from the tribal community” was duped by the BJP seniors and was being presented with the money they themselves arranged. How very ingenious of him!! His analysis was quick and sharp.
This person is the gravest threat to Indian Nationalism. I am sure many people find him mischeavous, funny,innocuous and entertaining.But he is the most devious,diabolical,draconian force against Indian Nationalism.
Not only that he is the icon of large scale corruption, misrule and criminalisation of Indian politics, but he is also the chief reason why Indian populace is so hopelessly divided on caste lines.
He is the arch enemy of the nationalists of this country who want to see a unified Hindu community without caste barriers which would be the life force of a strong,powerful and united India.
He is one of the many individuals who wish earnestly against a consolidation of the Hindu vote, who wish earnestly for a fractured indian society, which would yield them the electoral arithmatic of minorityism, where just his own caste coupled with the virtue of diehard secularism, which fetches the votes of the minorities, are enough for an comfortable electoral victory.
He is one of the many individuals who thrive on the fears of the so called minority community and would never miss a chance for this fear mongereing to make his case.
He is one of the many individuals who would always harp on caste identities and another kind of fear mongering to keep these caste identities alive, fear of upper caste domination in the depressed classes.
I was so very disturbed by listening to him yesterday that I had to let you all know how I felt. I am sure with his legitimization and sometimes even glorification done by the media, we should always bear these issues in our minds and should be able to see clearly through the murky waters.
With unprecendented scenes unfolding in the parliament and its aftermath, I am sure 22 nd July would not go out of media spotlight soon. But I sincerely doubt whether these issues would be discussed at all. Hence this effort.
Sincerely,
Nikhil Pujari.
If somebody else is not good as expected it is because the others (electorate) have allowed them to be there.
Everything said and done, to me, only action counts. I have no locus standi to comment on anybody till I can see myself on their altar. I am doing groundwork and when I am confident then I will fight elections as well. The bottomline to me is to bring whatever little improvement I can for betterment of the society I live in.
Regards.
Here is the shameful detail of what happened in the run-up to the *live telecast* of cash-for-votes scandal…
Dear Sir,
Who the hell does this Omar think himself to be the King of Kashmir.
Kashmir is not his Zammen nor his grandfathers or his family.
The land belongs to Indians and Bharatiya’s. If he feels unconfortable to lease to other Indians let him take a hike to the land where his friends live.
WE WILL FIGHT FOR IT AND WILL GET IT, WEHETHER HE AND HIS ILK LIKE IT OR NOT.
Regards,
vck
The “gory” details, courtesy Offstumped:
Ahmed Patel’s role revealed:
and Suhail Hindustani speaks out: