This is with reference to the article in The Print by Pradeep Chhibber titled If Modi govt doesn’t control vigilantism, history will compare it to Indira Gandhi Emergency.
Let’s begin with the title. How many Left Lib writers have outrightly condemned Indira Gandhi’s Emergency without Ifs & Buts? Don’t they swear by the Constitutional Amendments that were made during the same period when the entire opposition was in jail? Especially the 42nd Amendment.
The vanguard of this regime are legions of vigilantes; these are ordinary citizens, businessmen, journalists, and of course, bureaucrats. They are the new regime’s foot soldiers, led not by the government openly, but by low-level officials and ordinary citizens seeking to ingratiate themselves with the powerful.
What is wrong with this? Ordinary Citizens, Businessmen, Journalists and Bureaucrats – these are the people who elect governments. They are not paid / card carrying members like the other opposition party ‘workers’. They have every right to decide what they want.
A second, and more dangerous vigilantism that is currently prevalent, is seen in those who protect their self-interests by becoming loud advocates of the government’s policies.
Again, what’s wrong with this? I vote for a Government which promises certain policies which are in my interest. When the Government implements those policies, I have every reason to be happy and every right to be its advocate – loudly or quietly.
Vigilantism does not bode well for citizens, the ruling party, or the vigilantes themselves. Any citizen can be subject to the ad hoc actions of a vigilante.
When did the Liberals attain this Nirvana? Who were the people who wrote to the President of another country to deny visa to the elected CM of a State of India? Did any one of them condemn when some Vigilantes on their side offered 51 crore to kill the PM of India or amount offered to kill Waseem Rizvi? They don’s just stop with threats do they? They ‘execute’ their plan like in the case of Kamlesh Tiwari.
Even today’s newspaper carried an article saying about 2500 Eminent Intellectuals (I always wonder who issues these certificates) wrote to a court asking for the release of a certain individual detained for anti national activities. They want the Judges to take cognizance of their letter and not the law.
What Chhibber says is my vigilantism is good but yours is bad.
He is supposedly (I refrained from using the LeLi’s favourite word Allegedly) a Professor in some university in the US. Probably not even an Indian Citizen. I have no qualms in being called an ‘Ordinary Citizen’ (as he derogatively refers to us). As per the Indian Constitution -which they like to refer to selectively– my vote weighs as much as the vote of any self styled Intellectual. Isn’t that what Democracy is all about?
Neither The Print nor its writers have any right to insult the citizens of India.
They owe us an apology.
