Political
Diary
New Delhi, 19 April
2022
Bulldozer Politics
WHOSE AFRAID OF IT?
By Poonam I Kaushish
As
temperatures rise across the country the heat is searing through political Ulta Pulta UP and Madhya Pradesh over it
new-fangled and unprecedented Bulldozer Politics. This
gigantic machine has become one of the biggest electoral
tools for our leaders to win
elections. Whereby, a Government is judged as strong and decisive not on
development work but by the number of bulldozers it uses to demolish citizens’
houses. Thereby, turning rule of
law into rule by law!
Conceptualised and patented by BJP’s
UP Chief Minister Yogi who was bestowed the
sobriquet “Bulldozer Baba” as a jibe
by rival Samajwadi Party during the recent elections, the Party adopted the
moniker and endorsed it as an affirmation of State policy by using it to raze
illegal properties of criminals and rapists to instill the fear of law.
This
muscular politics of ‘might is right’ has now been adopted by neighbour Madhya Pradesh whose Chief Minister
Chouhan liberally ordered destruction of rioters properties, crimes
against women and violence as punishment earning the nickname Bulldozer
Mama. Last week even as over 50 houses of alleged rioters involved
in Khargone violence during a Ram Navami procession were demolished, he made
plain, “Beti ki suraksha mein jo banega
rora, mama ka bulldozer banega hathora!”
Predictably, this bulldozer
politics perfected by BJP’s two popular heartland leaders has sparked off a
major controversy with the Opposition yelling “mockery of Constitution”. India’s
pluralist edifice built with blood, sweat and tears of nationalists, is being
bulldozed brick by brick. This muscular politics is unhealthy for our secular
democratic body politic.
Raising a moot point:
Is this display of political muscle power and dadagiri at its crassiest best? Or is it legal and a deterrent
against rioting?
True, in a narrow
political sense, rioters can take umbrage that it invades their privacy,
imperils their safety and reeks of vindictiveness as they are being vilified as
“anti-nationals”, thereby, underlining the Baba-Mama
Governments intolerance towards the minority community. Besides, how can they
be held guilty without a trial and without demonstrating that the accused
persons committed legal offences through their actions? In fact the State’s
power to maintain law and order, however broad, cannot be permitted to violate Fundamental
Rights.
Counters Congress’
Rahul, “instead of bulldozing inflation and unemployment the BJP’s bulldozer is
ridden by hate and fear.” Not even offenders of serious crime are subject to
such treatment as has been meted against these people accused of vandalism. The
motive strikingly appears to be that of vengeance. No State Administration
should pursue these steps to achieve moral ends of effective deterrence, he
adds.
Not
a few argue this template of justice has neither respect nor the time for due
process. This institutional
thuggery can only threaten the rule of law. Employing strong-arm tactics goes against the imperatives
of democratic ethics and civil liberty. True our judicial process is very time
consuming and progress’ at a snail’s pace but that does not merit taking law
into one’s hand as this would result in a collapse of law and order and
breakdown of the law enforcing machinery.
Adding, while an individual could commit
any act that is not prohibited by law, a State could take only actions that are
expressly sanctioned by law. Underscoring, this was a crucial aspect of the
rule of law to protect the individual
from the might of the State apparatus and no democracy can afford to punish people
without a due process of law.
Legal
experts wonder how Government can bulldoze property before the court
holds anyone guilty. If Government doles out
‘justice’ on the basis of its likes and dislikes, what are courts for? It must
not act as court and jury. This ‘bulldozer politics’ is the beginning of a
dangerous trend and instead of instilling fear in criminals minds, laws needs
to be tightened not bypassed.
The State
Government in its defence asserts that “illegal structures” encroaching on
public land and belonging to citizens who committed public nuisance were razed
as “punishment”. “They set ablaze houses of poor and Scheduled Castes why
shouldn’t we take action against these people?” Shouldn't bulldozers be used
against those who trouble them?” defends Chouhan.
Moreover,
action is taken under relevant sections of law and court should not interfere
in such matters
as the accused created a nuisance and damaged public.
This not only instills fear of financial losses and
act as a deterrent for the future but also strengthens the ‘strongman’'
image of our leaders to provide development-oriented administration.
Also, in 2009 Supreme
Court in a “suo motu” judgment
averred property destruction as collective punishment of rioters. “If some destruction of
property happened in a protest, and you were present, your property could get
attached without needing to show you were responsible in any way.”
Either which way
bulldozer politics heralds a paradigm shift in political thinking. Whereby, the
Government has intertwined a citizen’s responsibilities with his fundamental
duties to the State, protecting the sovereignty and
integrity of India, duties towards fellow citizens and society, adhering to
spirit of common brotherhood, preserving composite culture and safeguarding
public property to ensure he does not take refuge under his rights to
commit various acts of misdemeanor in the public domain.
Consequently, in a
milieu where good governance and accountability is the hallmark of Government,
it stands to reason when the State highlights that citizenry too has
responsibilities, duties and obligations towards the nation. It is a vital
component of strengthening roots of society at the grass root level.
Furthermore, in an
era of omnipresent social media which can be judgmental and vicious it has
created a new sort of fear psychosis. Bringing things to such a pass, that this tit-for-tat
politics has resulted in many BJP Chief Ministers jostling to join the
‘muscular club’. From Assam’s Himanta Biswa to Karnataka’s Bommai.
Sure, one can protest
against State actions but it should be peaceful. One certainly cannot run riot
and destroy public property at will. After all, everything belongs to the
public as a whole. Clearly, the country
needs to find a fine balance between street power and duties and
responsibility.
Bluntly, rioters
should not be allowed to go unpunished. The time for citizens to change their
mindset and realize alongside Fundamental Rights we also have our duties to the
State. We need to cry a halt to
increasing degradation by conducting our own due diligence, else we lay the
foundation for a weak and pliable nation.
Both Bulldozer Baba and Bulldozer Mama have
shown the way to hold rioters and criminals accountable for their violence. A
first towards a peaceful free India where it’s democracy comes first. Can
anyone argue with this? ----- INFA.
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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