Are we really an intolerant lot? In a nation where the Gandhi and the Nehru are not spared of abuse, should the insult of some Modi or Adani be a matter of concern? Does the government, which fails to protect the dignity of its National Heroes, has the right to ask anyone, who questions its integrity? It was alleged, not long back, that we are becoming an intolerant society by the day, and here we are beating the hell out of issues of no significance. Should we cry foul if someone calls the Prime Minister by the wrong name? If addressing the PM as Narendra Gautam Adani is wrong, it must be equally wrong if he addresses the Father of the Nation as Mohan Lal Gandhi.
Having said that, let me come to the core issue. A court in Surat has sentenced Rahul Gandhi, then an MP and former President of the Indian National Congress to a two-year term of imprisonment. I have little knowledge if the court in question had the authority and the competency to judge a speech by its context that was uttered more than a thousand kilometers away and arrive at a conclusion to award the highest punishment that could be awarded under the law.
All I know is, what we have in the public domain. Rahul, of course, referred to Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi, and did ask, “why all these thieves are Modis?” This is not as saying, “why all Modis are thieves?” He also said, “if we look more closely, we may come across certain other Modis who are thieves.” Certainly, he was not questioning the integrity of all Modis but referring to a subdomain that is part of the larger community. That Purnesh Modi chose to affiliate himself with this very subdomain is more out of his political compulsions than anything else. However, at the end of the day, he will have to explain why he waited until the exit of a certain magistrate to reinitiate his case that he himself had stayed.
To say that no one, not even the scion of Gandhi Pariwar, is above the law of the land is not enough in a democratic setup. It is imperative to maintain that no one, not even the Prime Minister, is above the law of the land. Unfortunately, today we are amidst a political dispensation where those who proclaim that “All Khans are terrorists” go scot-free but those who ask, “why all these thieves are Modis?” are being put behind the bars. The justice system cannot be partially correct.
It is equally unfortunate to note that those who chant ‘Jai Shree Ram!’ relentlessly have scant regard for the values that Rama or the Ram Rajya stand for. Ram Rajya is not about erecting a temple, it is more about putting to trial even the Royalty at a slight doubt raised by the general public, even if they happen to be from the downtrodden section of the society. Ram Rajya is not about being told, but about being heard. Ram Rajya has no place for the intolerant.
Rahul had raised some difficult questions in Parliament. These were expunged from the records simply because they made the people in power uncomfortable. They thus ensured that such questions are not raised in Parliament again. There are reasons to believe that the exit of the person likely to raise it again, and again, was meticulously crafted. It is now for the people in power to come out clean and demonstrate that democracy in India is not at risk. A democratic setup without strong opposition and responsible media is simply an Autocracy. Are we not witness to an era in which the people in power are leaving no stone unturned to suppress the opposition and mute the media?
It is time to prove that we are not intolerant. This can only be demonstrated if all have their chances to speak without any fear and be heard without any prejudice.
