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Journalism of Courage
Perhaps it is easier to be principled when you are not in power. And it must be difficult not to be cynical when you do acquire power and start coming close to the risk of losing it. Atal Bihari Vajpayee proudly wrote that the party under him had lost without regrets in an honourable defeat in the 1984 general elections because his party had refused to exploit the 8216;8216;insanity that had gripped India in the immediate aftermath of Indira Gandhi8217;s assassination8217;8217;. But his own party today seems to be happy to promote and exploit the insanity that has gripped Gujarat during the past seven weeks and now plans to betray the democratic principle by seeking to stage an election in a communally polarised in the state. At a time when the situation in the country and plain humanity demand that a balm be applied to heal the wounds caused by the recent riots, the move to exploit the vote bank is nothing short of gross irresponsibility.
Electoral politics and processes, at the best of times, remains basically competitive and normally divisive in a society like ours where the struggle to seek comparative advantage in the midst of rising prosperity gets intense. What can we expect in Gujarat under the present circumstances? Can anyone say that any elections forced on the state by a discredited leadership would be representative of the principles of democracy if it is held in an emotionally surcharged climate where even the state8217;s premier city has not yet returned to normal, and where over 150,000 displaced people live in refugee camps because their homes and hearths have been destroyed? Or would it not simply thrust a majority decision, excited by communal feelings, on the people in keeping with the most divisive kind of politics? Somewhere we seem to be forgetting that majority rule in a democracy derives its legitimacy from the minority, and upholding the consultative principle in the majority-minority relations is vital to democratic practice. The BJP apparently counts on winning by ordering a snap poll. This represents the most cynical path to power by a political party rapidly losing political support across the country as indeed the recent election results have demonstrated. Will an election in Gujarat at this stage restore the confidence of the people in the ability to govern of a dispensation that failed to protect the lives of innocents?
