#MeToo movement could successfully dislodge the Union State Minister MJ Akbar for his alleged past misdeeds of sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual misconduct is in commonplace in all the institutions hence, it is ubiquitous. Many women of conservative background also supported the movement, for, the issue at hand was the union minister, a constitutional head and therefore the protector of constitutional morality was said to have involved in the acts that were not appropriate to his position and violation of women’s rights. So, irrespective of the court’s verdict on the criminal defamation case he filed, he was tainted in the perception battle. Anyway, it’s all an old story. Now the application of mind should be on the future course of the movement that will have a greater impact on the society. The emboldened women in #MeToo who are all liberal in their thinking have a program. What could that be? What next? It is a dilemma.
Liberals in India ape the West in many ways. Liberalism entails all FREEDOMS. To put it bluntly, free to eat what they like, drink and also indulge in casual/consensual sex outside the marital bonds. I don’t say all liberals lead that kind of life. But they vouch for such freedom. They are all not immoral, but are amoral. For them, that way of life is not wrong and the Indian Constitution guarantees them.
The bedrock of the western Constitution is FREEDOM. India adopted the same principle. Freedom of thought, Freedom of expression, Freedom in dressing, Freedom of food, Freedom on one’s own body, that is, ‘my body, my choice’ kind. All agreed. These freedoms should not be used in breach, but should be used as a privilege. This doesn’t seem to be the case.
MJ Akbar is a product of liberal thought and application. His habits, as written by his ex-colleague-journalists amply testify that. The #MeToo women wouldn’t mind him being what he is privately but harassing them in the workplace was their grievance.
Most of the Indians are unaware of what the liberals stand for. The traditional Indians get shocked to hear what the liberals stand by. The ordinary women who are conservative by nature stick to certain family values. The kind of indulgences the liberals have, these people shun. They go by tradition but they understand to a limited extent what #MeToo movement is all about. They have no knowledge that the liberals are fighting against rape not only outside the marriage but within the marriage which is called ‘marital rape’! For them, adultry is no sin. Their fight for individual rights goes to dizzy heights.
Liberal women freely mingle with men in pubs and parties. They are close in exchanging greetings and hugs and kisses. Of course, as individuals it’s their prerogative to do what they like. Suddenly, they get livid and complain about their compatriot, another liberal to have touched or held their hand which is inappropriate to them. Who decides whether the touch is good or bad? Invariably a woman. For, a man, has no right to decide. He is always filled with ‘toxic-masculinity’.
Traditional wisdom coming from ages, that is, the wisdom handed over from generation to generation by our grandparents is a strict no, no to the liberal world. At least a part of it, which is relevant to our time, is also shunned.
Any sort of harassment against a woman is equivalent to a rape as per liberals. With this theory they alleged, Tarun Tejpal of Tehalka had committed an assault on his subordinate woman employee in the lift of 2-3 minute journey.
The other liberal men on whom recently sexually inappropriate behavior comments were made are: Chetan Bhagat, Suheil Seth, Jatin Das (the famous Nandita Dad’s father). The liberals are castrading themselves. They are strangulating their heads by a long rope made by themselves. The liberals must know India is in the old world with thousands of years old tradition and America is in the new world with only three-four hundred years of history.The rules that are applied in America cannot forcibly be applied here. If applied, the application is not good for India. That way # Me Too, a liberal movement, will slide to its natural death if it goes overboard.
