MUSINGS
It is getting more than disgusting to hear those horrifying outbursts of the Hindutva elements directly or indirectly linked to the present-day government. These elements ought to be banned or thrown in those hell-holes. But here creeps in another of those horrifying realities—they are part and parcel of the entire set-up, so are left not just untouched but well-protected under layers of political patronage.
How could the Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut get away with this totally provocative utterance—that is, voting rights of the Muslims of this country be withdrawn. How dare he! Yes, he could dare to say, rather write, this because he knew that no case could ever be slapped on him. After all, he is a Member of Parliament and also a prominent member of the Hindutva brigade.
How could the Hindu Mahasabha's Sadhvi Deva Thakur get away by uttering the obnoxious provocative one-liner—that is, Muslims and Christians should be forcibly sterilised because their growing numbers posed a danger to Hindus! This sadhvi sat unruffled and unapologetic and little bothered. Why? Because of state support.
How could Sakshi Maharaj get away from the clutches of the law after openly saying that Musalmaans have four wives and produce 40 children! Adding that voting rights be snatched from those who do not practise family planning! Of course, not much intellectual output is expected from the likes of Sakshi; he is ignorant of some hard facts related to polygamy. The Government of India's census reports more than indicate that polygamy is highest amongst the Hindu tribal community and not amongst Indian Muslims... I am not bothered about the intellectual or physical capabilities of the likes of Sakshi but what's more than worrying is the fact that this man is a Member of Parliament and thriving on the taxpayer's money. Coupled with the fact that he is left untouched by the administration. Garbage utterances out there in the public, in front of the district administration and the so-called govern-ment machinery, yet no countering the poison that the likes of Sakshi are unleashing!
What are we talking of the poisonous environ-ment and replacement of old vehicles from the highways when there are other polluting elements coming our way. Who the hell will control these brigades who are hell-bent on dragging along disasters and the accompanying offshoots which will go a long way in ripping us apart!
In fact, one of the offshoots is this latest news coming in from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur—800 Valmikis getting converted to Islam to save their homes and hearth! Even a decade back this notion of conversion or re-conversion or ghar wapsi would have been impossible to digest but today anything and everything seems possible in the backdrop of state terror... terrorising tactics adopted by the state machinery.
Those in power indulging in killings... blatant killings. Encounters no longer taking place out there in the open but well inside police vehicles. After all, last week's killing of five undertrials in Andhra Pradesh by cops was an encounter well inside the police van taking the five to Hyderabad for a court hearing. Encounters taking place even of hapless daily wagers and labourers. Those killed in the Chittoor forest belt on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border were no smugglers but labourers, yet gunned down by the police.
And the latest news coming in from Kashmir's Tral is that of an innocent young man—19-year-old Khalid Muzaffar—blatantly killed by the Army ... killing him after labelling him a militant though the locals vouch for his innocence. What difference has this Mufti-Modi Government brought about in terms of human misery in the Kashmir Valley? How long can these killings go on? In fact, each time I visit the Valley there are more graves staring in the face. Marked and unmarked graves are constant reminders of the dead, of those killed under all possible garbs.
And mind you, these are the daily realities that you and I have to live with... the situation is alarming; yet the political rulers of India are taking a walk around the avenues of Germany, France and Canada. Showing, rather showing off, the ‘bright spots', without realising the bright German and French and Canadian heads are capable of seeing through.