The missing bedrocks
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: January 28 2013 -
With celebration of 64th Republic Day of India bringing no cheers to a larger section of the people not only in the volatile Jammu & Kashmir and strife-torn Northeastern States but also in other parts, how truly India is a democratic republic country after 64 years remains a question to be answered? Leaving aside the question of Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeastern States, where Republic Day celebration is the same old story of boycott and bandh, in other parts of the country like the Maoist-hit region of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal as well as in Punjab where Dal Khalsa, a Sikh body, had called upon the religious minorities and ethnic nationalities to observe the 'Republic Day' as 'Betrayal Day' in protest against 'India's history of broken promises', celebration under thick security blanket is what India's Republic Day is all about.
As a matter of fact, the concept of 'republic country', which is derive from the Latin word 'res publica' should rest on the of actual realization of the principles of 'justice, liberty, equality' guaranteed to all its citizens, irrespective of their colour, caste, creed or the place of their settlement.
So, has India been able to live up to the true spirit of a 'democratic republic country' and guarantee all these democratic principles of justice, liberty and equality to all its citizens even after 64 years of republic?
The answer to this question should not be far to seek to anyone when they learn about the celebration of India's Republic Day on January 26 or for that matter Independence Day on August 15 every year under the shadow of threat and heavy deployment of security.
The truth of the matter is that India in actuality is a country of contradictions and prejudices where the supposedly elected representatives are immune to the problems of the people.
Even if we could not say anything with authority on the problems faced by the people elsewhere, we could conclude without an iota of doubt that the indifference of the rulers towards the people they governed could not be more pronounced in Manipur than anywhere else.
For the last many years, people in Manipur have been living in total deprivation of their rights and liberty. What are supposedly guaranteed under the Constitution of India as citizens of a democratic republic country, are being deprived of by the same rulers who have come to the door of the people seeking their support during election time with galore of promises that have been conveniently forgotten after being elected.
This has been the kind of relationship that has existed between the people and the elected Government all along. On the other hand, continue imposition of draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, which gives sweeping power to the armed security forces, regardless of the public outcries against the excesses committed by the security personnel all in the name of counter insurgency and the various recommendations for repealing the Act by Committees instituted by the Government itself, has made the life of the people so valueless and insecure that they never know whether they would return alive once stepping out of their home.
Such politics of exclusion has definitely shown that India may have grown in years but not mature enough when it comes to ensuring the promised fundamental rights to its citizens, which are the bedrocks of a republic country.
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