When Indira Gandhi
was the prime minister, she was hailed for her role in liberating Bangla Desh
from the clutches of Pakistan in 1971. 93,000 strong Pakistani army surrendered
in Dacca and Mrs. Gandhi received bouquet from all possible quarters even though
she had not even raised her finger to liberate the new country. She went on to
receive Bharat Ratna. No one grudges her that because she was the leader of the
country and as leader of the country, she had the responsibility of running the
country. But the same Indira Gandhi was roundly criticised for her role in
Emergency of 1975 and was particularly ridiculed for having apportioned blame
of emergency excesses on her officials who only carried out her policies. The
simple principle is--if you take credit for good things, you must also take
discredit for bad things. She had shown contumely disregard to this principle.
But she was a politician and politicians do take political licences as many UPA
ministers are doing these days.
But how could the
honourable Supreme Court overlook this principle while delivering its orders on
the incident of 4th June 2011 in which so many innocent protesters had been
brutally assaulted by Delhi police? Especially as the court observed 'link
between Union Home Ministry and Delhi Police'! It indicts police. It also
indicts Baba Ramdev who was spearheading a movement and had assembled at Ram
Lila Ground to register his protest against government's inaction on black
money stashed away out of the country on which the honourable court too has
passed a harsh order and created an SIT to monitor CBI action. It’s another
matter that nothing has happened on that front and that the apex court has not
taken any suo moto cognizance of
contempt of its order.
From this order of
the apex court, it would appear as if Delhi police acted on its own and that
there was or is no government in India at all. There is no home minister, no
prime minister who could be called upon to explain their action/inaction in the
matter. And why blame the victims that had gathered there legally after
obtaining permission from this very government? Why apex court does not pass
any stricture against the government, against the home minister and the prime
minister? This order has greatly saddened me because I see in this order an
attempt to sift chaff from the grain when no such possibility exists. This was
not expected of the apex court and it has set a very bad example, a horrid
precedence. Henceforth, no government will ever be responsible for anything at
all. The apex court may have to revise its own order on Black Money that it
passed some time back in which it blamed the government for inaction. It might
end up saying it is not the government, not the FM, not the PM, who is/are
responsible, but those officials working under them and taking orders from them
who are responsible for the mess. What a shame! And we have the gumption to
call ourselves a democracy!
