by Avani Bansal. Previously published by her on Medium, 21 December 2020
How does our government have the arrogance to pass Farm Laws that affect 60 percent of India’s population, without consultation or, more surprisingly, without any voting in Parliament, in violation of all set conventions, on the basis of sheer brute force?
Well, because we let it do so. We suffer in silence, while the government gets haughtier by the day. Our excuses, genuine as they may be — to the tune of “but there’s too much information out there for me to keep on top of things, isn’t that what the government is for?”, or “it is a democracy, I have cast my vote, shouldn’t we just respect and trust the government now?”, or “oh, I didn’t know this was so serious, the media doesn’t show it after all” -, are all conversations that tire the hell out of me, because of their repetitive nature and my own inability to answer creatively or with patience each time.
So I asked a friend — “How is it that you, who’s not that into news, was devouring social media for every piece of news and the latest developments in the Sushant Singh case, while having no clue of the Farmers’ Protest, even when 41 farmers have died in the past three months of the protest and when thousands of farmers, including the aged, women and children, have literally made roads their new homes? How is it that it doesn’t bother you?”. And her simple and honest answer was “Well, perhaps because I am not able to relate as much to their issue.” What she was saying was that Sushant Singh Rajput, a celebrity, seemed closer home, and the farmers don’t necessarily seem so. It somehow seems that they are protesting for “their” issue, which has little relevance to “my” issue. What my friend couldn’t see perhaps is how Sushant Singh Rajput was as distant as the farmers are, and ironically as close home as they can be, but it is the role of the media that makes the vast difference.
I avoided the temptation of explaining as P. Sainath wonderfully does, how the Farm Laws are not just against farmers’ interests but affect every individual citizen, and take away the right to approach Courts for any dispute arising from the laws, in essence eliminating judicial review – a basic feature of our Constitution.
But really, we need to ask ourselves, what is it in “us” that permits so much arrogance in our government? We have given it a brute majority in Parliament — 303 seats for the BJP alone and 353 seats for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. It can pass any law with ease, so isn’t there a moral responsibility and a certain constitutional accountability that our Government is bound by?
The Indian Constitution limits arrogance and arbitrariness across all branches – the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary – by providing a system of checks and balances and the separation of powers.
i) The Legislature — Any law it passes has to stand constitutional scrutiny by the Judiciary; ii) The Executive — It loses power if it loses the confidence of the Legislature, and the Judiciary can strike down any action that violates the Constitution or other statutory laws and iii) The Judiciary – It relies on the Executive for implementing legal orders, and does not command any purse of its own.
This implies that while the Constitution of India adopts a parliamentary form of democracy based on majority rule, it also ensures that no one organ, person or institution can exercise arbitrary powers in violation of the law. The seeming arrogance of the current ruling party has only been possible because of its systematic attempts to crush all avenues of dissent and erode the independence of every single constitutional institution, from the Finance Commission to the Election Commission to the Indian Judiciary. So what caused the Government’s arrogance and what is the panacea for it?
The answer lies in “us” — we, the people — our silence and inability to call out the Government results in this display of unchecked arrogance by the Government. Reminds me of the famous folklore tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen, published in 1837.
Two swindlers visit a king known for spending lavishly on his clothes at the expense of the state. They promise to make a garment for him which is magnificent and visible only to those who are really smart. They claim that anyone incompetent and stupid in the kingdom will be unable to see the garment. The king is excited and the swindlers posing as weavers start their work in right earnest. When the king’s officials visit the weavers, they see no loom but they choose to keep quiet because they fear looking stupid. Then the king visits to review progress and sees nothing himself; he naturally says nothing at all. Finally on the appointed day, the weavers “dress up” the king in the garment and he sets off in a procession to display his “dress” to the entire city. Naked as the king was, not one person dared say the emperor had no clothes, except a child blurted out so! Everyone realises that their king had been fooled, yet the king walks more proudly than ever before.
Our government, like the king, is proud and arrogant but we too are to blame for our inability to speak up about what we see and speak the truth. This “yes personship” is the greatest danger to any democracy, so here is a broad outline of what each one of us can do to discharge our constitutional and moral duty to democracy:
1. Read Up — It’s a Worthwhile Investment
We live in times when the national news and issues change at lightning speed and we need to keep up-to-date. This means asking the Five Whys to every proposititon put forth before us. Do not settle for easy answers or be satisfied by easy media narratives. We need to be ready to dig, to ask questions, to deal with the unease of opposing views and above all to care enough about national issue and politics, without settling for the comfortable and convenient tag of apolitical. In a nation, where what our government does affects us all, sooner or later, apolitical is not a smart choice. It was the Muslims yesterday against the CAA-NRC, the Dalits protesting Rohit Vemula’s death, women protesting for entry into Sabrimala temple, farmers protesting against the farm laws today… it can be you tomorrow. So those who ask — why does Yogendra Yadav participate in every protest, the answer is — why shouldn’t he and why aren’t you. We are all tied to each other in an inter-dependent web where the butterfly effect is a fact not fiction.
2. Do Not Sell Your Commitment Cheap
There is enough scientific research to show that human brain is wired to reject information which contradicts the set patterns in our head. In other words — we are all victims of confirmation bias. This means that if we appreciate a political party or leader, we tend not to question anything that may sully the image of that person or party.
Irrespective of which political camp you belong to, criticising someone or something only because of a dominant image in your head is not only unjust, it’s dumb because it prevents you from seeing the truth, which isn’t always black or white. Just as Congress followers do not want to criticise any of their own leaders while decrying everything the BJP does, BJP supporters do not want to even entertain a discussion about how the truth is not what meets the eye. For every person in a Democracy, it should be our nation first and not a political party first, therefore what we need is people committed to truth and the search for it — not those who will swear blind allegiance to a party or person. Above all, we need people who will not shy away from questioning.
3. Remind Yourself Everyday That You Matter
You may be an engineer, a fashion designer, an interior decorator. You may think your thoughts do not matter in the large scheme of things, that while you have an opinion, you are yet to grasp the full picture. You may think that your own occupation is to take care of your partner and children. But no, you matter and what you say, think and do does even more. We the people includes each one of us; not just those who seemingly have more power, more money or more visibility. If a thousand people are protesting on the streets, even just you joining them makes a difference. The more hands to the fight, the stronger will it be and the less sacrifice those who are on ground zero will have to make. We are in this together, and the sooner we realise it the better.
4. Check Your Sources
I hope you know that social media and internet algorithms are designed to deliver tailored content that you are most likely to engage with. In other words, if a platform shows you more of some sources or links, that is because their algorithms are trained to learn what you are most likely to read, and present more of the same to you. You are being fed a particular type of opinion from the larger available set, and you tend to trust what appears to you as the neutral world. So you need to consciously check the sources, what it is that you are feeding yourself. Looking for alternative media sources — yes those media and digital platforms you never see — is important and helpful in sorting the wheat from the chaff. Also everything on the internet is not true so do consult fact-checking platforms to validate the information you see.
5. Make A Difference Wherever You Are
The smallest of actions is better than the boldest of intentions. Wherever you are and whatever you can do — do it. If you can speak to people around you, do it. If you can get on ground zero to support others protesting, or facilitate them in any manner — do it. If you can read up on something and explain in language easy to understand or translate it — do it. If you can paint, write a song or poetry about an issue close to your heart — do it. If you can organise a book reading session — do it. No action is too small or a waste, for it is the intent that matters and the impact grows over time. You don’t have to be a full time activist to show that you care and fulfill your duty as a citizen.
6. Say Something Nice When You See Something Right — This Small Slogan Will Change the World
Do you have friend or colleagues doing something right — fighting for a cause? Why not support them? Movements are formed not alone but when one person provides the leadership that others are willing to support and join. Supporting others in the right causes, including watching, commenting, sharing the message is also important in today’s digital world. To have a community of people who care is the greatest assurance for someone sacrificing everything to keep the good fight on. The least everyone can do is to spare time and support in whatever way possible. A word of appreciation, a kind message is sometimes enough to get a person’s spirits high again, when the victory seems tough and far off.
7. Do Not Consider Any Issue as Beyond You : Understand the Law
You may not be a lawyer but that shouldn’t prevent you from trying to understand laws and the legal system. Law by its very nature affects everything. Whatever you need to understand in order to fully grasp events in the country – be that pertaining to laws or judiciary or science or climate change — you must make an effort to understand it, connect with people who can explain it instead of being satisfied with shallow dips into your own particular professional domain, your intellectual curiosity tamed. Be wild in your search for truth and stop no-where. Intellectual pursuit is not the domain of the elites — it is for everyone. Also how we define intellectuals is key — for a woman selling flowers and being the bread-winner for her family has no less intellect than a person writing about nation’s economic status.
8. The Past Is Dead And The Future Is Yet To Be Born; Today Is What Matters
The fight for India’s soul is not dependent on who conquered India when, but where we want to take the nation. Do we believe in India’s constitution that promises a safe haven to everyone who is in India, along with a right to practice any religion, and enjoy individual liberties without any discrimination? If yes, then we need to remind ourselves that while some politicians will always try to take us into past, we need to be focused on the future by making the right decisions today.
Arrogance amongst our leaders is possible when they think that the people are not watching. If we take our constitutional duties and our own role in a democracy seriously, then alone can we effectively watch over unchecked arrogance and vest the powers in we, the people.
To explore the fundamental duties the Indian Constitution expects citizens to fulfill, watch my video here :
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. AlignIndia does not take any responsibility for the content of the article.
(Avani Bansal is an Advocate, Supreme Court and Secretary, All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC), Delhi. She can be reached at advocateavanibansal@gmail.com)