January 2021 has witnessed two regrettable, unforgettable and unpleasant incidents in democratic governance in the world; they are the first of the kinds in the histories of the affected countries. First incident took place in the world’s oldest constitutional democracy that is the US on January 06, and second incident took place on January 26 in the largest democracy i.e. India, when the nation was celebrating her revered 72nd Republic Day. And the incidents were planned, fostered, promoted and executed by the forces, whose desire to rule their respective countries have been summarily rejected by the voters in the constitutionally mandated and time-tested elections primarily for their brands of politics, apart from the support from unelected.
Desecration of Capitol Building
As the US incident happened first, I proceed with this one first. Though the US system of election for its head of the government and nation i.e. President has questionable procedures as there is no uniformity in election managements throughout all the federal states, which have been reason of discontents in many elections in the past, yet the transition of powers from losers to winners had remain smooth over more than two centuries. But, the former President Donald Trump, who bided for second term in 2020 election, was clearly a loser as he got 232 electoral votes against winner Joe Biden’s 306 electoral votes. Since the election result had been declared, Donald Trump was found engaged in several democratically acceptable and unacceptable activities such as challenging the result in court and pressuring the Georgia government official respectively to declare the result null and void. However, it was the strength and resilience of the US democracy that had successfully overcome those vilifications.
As the last resort to retain the power comes what way, President Donald Trump on January 06 wore the hat of Don, came out of The White House, the world oldest constitutional democracies top institution, which has been for centuries leading the world of democracies, and directed a mob to Capitol Building to sabotage the formal result certification. Post-Presidential election, as per the constitution, on the January 06, the nation’s highest law making institution i.e. Congress-Senate in Capitol Building was supposed to certify the election results received from all states and compiled, and declare the winner before the President and Vice-President elects are taken oath of office on January 20. But, the same was disrupted and the sacred Capitol Building was vandalized by the elements as schemed by Don-cum-Donald Trump, and certification was disrupted, which was being presided over by President’s own cabinet colleagues and next to him in the governance of nation i.e. Vice-President. What followed was seen by the whole world, and the US, the vanguard of democratic movement in the world, was ridiculed by the countries ruled by autocrats and dictators, and in many of those countries where the US had once upon a time intervened and has been intervening now for democratic right of the people.
Desecration of Red Fort on Republic Day in India
Back in India, the nation was celebrating her 72nd Republic Day. Many nations’ head of governments and the head of states were praising India for her adhering to democratic value system and governance apart from its leadership during the difficult time of Covid19 reign in the world. And when India’s law and order machinery i.e. Police Forces, which is supposed to guide the citizens for orderly celebration of proud 72nd Republic Day and salute the tri-colour on behalf of citizens of the country, were abused, attacked and thrown to death trap by the side of the very structure where the PM of the nation unfurl the national flag on the day of nation’s independence.
Who are behind this heinous crime?
They are none other than the breed of Don. And they are electoral rejects, as well as unelected. They are using farmers as their cover to take revenge on the people of India, who elected a non-dynastic, stable, functioning and nationalist government with absolute majority not once but twice consecutively, and Indian Constitutional Democracy. And they choose the sacred Republic Day as the day of their taking revenge.
The government of India has recently got passed the long pending and debated three Farm Laws for the economic benefit of farmers and nation with guarantee of existing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for (ignoring standard) products the farmers produce, and later agreed to not punish the farmers who burn agriculture residue that poison north Indian air for months. In 2020, agri-residue burning increased by 44% over last year in Punjab.
Protesting farm laws, first, it was ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) longtime ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) owned by Badal dynasty, which, in the last General Election, was severely beaten on the ground of corruption and dynasty occupation of a political-religious organization, and was in the political Intensive Care Unit (ICU) provided by BJP, left the government and joined agitation virtually being among the agitators at the Delhi border from day one as the family sees an opportunity for political fortune harvest. Literally, the head of Swaraj Party, Yoginder Yadav, who wished to hold voters’ collars and say ‘You idiots’ for not electing him in GE2019, had been at the agitation sites from the day one, and his former political abode Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was involved in providing infrastructure and logistic facilities to agitators though its government in Delhi wished to implement the laws with gazette notification on Nevember 23, 2020.
Apart from them, almost all opposition political parties and a large number of journalists and civil society members had given statements in support of the agitations despite the economists of repute have by and large supported the laws branding the same as far-reaching long due reform in agriculture sector, which employee more than 50% of nation’s work forces, yet contributes just 18% to national GDP. While the rioting was in its pick on Republic Day, senior journalists and politician Rajdeep Sardesai, Mrinal Pandey, Zafar Agha, Shashi Tharoor, etc. tweeted about a farmer death due to police firing. Later Rajdeep withdrew his tweet after Delhi Police circulated visual that the death of farmer happened due to his rash driving of tractor and heating the barricades resulting overturn of the vehicle that caused death. It was alleged that the victims injured body wasn’t allowed by agitators to be shifted to hospital by police resulting his death at the site unattended.
The Government of India based on Intelligence Bureau (IB) report had communicated to the Supreme Court, which has in the meantime intervened on the issue and has gone to the extent of blocking the Farm Laws implementation for time being and constituted a committee of four agriculture economists and experts to discuss the contentious issue with agitating farmers and the government in order to find a solution, that separatists have infiltrated the agitations. Despite all these known facts neither the unelected i.e. Judiciary comprehend the gravity of the situation and banned the Tractor Rally on the Republic Day nor the electoral rejects, who after the incident apologize and blame anti-socials for the vandalism of democratic infrastructures, stopped the rally.
Now, the question are: Should the democratically elected government’s enacted laws, which have been passed by the nation’s highest law making body i.e. Parliament, be not implemented because opposition politicians and vested interest masquerading as farmers don’t like the elected ruling party with absolute majority? And they organized a mob-violence to pressurize government to not implement the law. The issue is what to be preferred: Democracy or mobocracy? Despite provocation, the law enforcement agency i.e. Police did not use the force to stop the vandals. Were the force used, the sponsors could have been successful in painting Republic Day with blood and got the headlines in anti-India Western Media, which is fond of printing negative headlines posted by unelected to defame India.
