Indian Subcontinent on Fire
Posted : March 20, 2007 at 6:09 am [IST]
The whole of the subcontinent seems to be on fire for different reasons these days.
Mussaraf in Pakistan sacked the Chief Justice of Pakistan, and is facing waves of protests from the intellectuals, particularly the lawyers and others connected with judiciary. The police also have raided a TV channel that gave coverage of the protests and antagonised the media. Media has gone against Mussaraf. The question in media is about the possibility of the end of his era. This has happened for the first time. His rule with iron hand will come to an end some day. He has got no right to make a mockery of so-called democracy. It is for the time and people of Pakistan to decide. However, they also were fed up with those corrupt politicians, who ruled Pakistan before Mussaraf.
But why would have Mussaraf gone for this dismissal? Was the CJ so strategically dangerous for Mussaraf? Could Mussaraf not use some more self-restraint to continue for some more time as head? How long can US protect him from his own men? Perhaps till the time Mussaraf as the head of Pakistan serves its political interest to fight so called Talibans or terrorists that can harm Americans immensely, it will continue to take care of Mussaraf.
And at the same time, in the extreme east of our own country, Buddha Babu is facing people’s revolt in Nandigram. To gain the control of Nandigram, the epicentre of a SEZ of Salem of Indonesia, West Bengal Police took an unprecedented step, and entered Nandigram in thousands (WHY) along with lot of CPM cadre against the wishes of the people there. When the people protested, the police opened fire killing a large number of innocent people, mostly women who were leading the protest from the front. The opposition called it a repeat of Jalianwallah Bag massacre. High Court called it unconstitutional and asked CBI to investigate and report to it. Even Jyoti Basu, the oldest CPM stalwart and the former chief minister of West Bengal showed his unhappiness over the incident. The other partners-CPI, Forward Block, and RSP, of United Front ruling West Bengal for more than 30 years in West Bengal even threaten to come out of coalition if Buddha goes this autocratic way to help the industrialists to establish SEZs in the pretext of the development of West Bengal. Trinamool Congress and its Mamta are already asking for the President’s rule and the head of Buddha Babu. For the first time, the strike called by Mamta in West Bengal has the all out people’s support. Even the Writers Building, the citadel of the Buddha supporters abstained from work, and the IT hub at Salt Lake didn’t work.
Why is Buddha so much in hurry and antagonizing the people to push his industrialization agenda? Is it to be branded as investor-friendly at all cost to the people? Is it because Buddha wishes to leave behind him a prosperous West Bengal that missed the opportunity because of anti-industry policy of the leftist unions and Jyoti Basu, whom he replaced?
I wish Buddha a success. But he must go slow (and steady) and take people along with him. After all, that is the basic requirement of our democracy. He must work hard to improve the efficiency of the governance and remove the negative role of the CPM cadre that is creating an abrasion in normal quality of living in West Bengal. Why has he not electrified the rural region around Nandigram till today? Why the education and healthcare level is so poor there? Couldn’t the government have done better? Is it only because there were no SEZs till date?
But then the news from the Caribbean battles has brought another havoc. The cricket fans who adore the players and are out to protest against their failures on ground with bats and balls. I don’t understand how a single game can upset a nation of a billion so much.
Is it not typical immaturity of the people of the subcontinent?
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Is it Nandigram’s land ‘victory‘?
- Indra
Category: Indian politics |
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