IN THIS ‘MOTHER OF DEMOCRACY', LIVES DON'T MATTER

The Lakhimpur Kheri incident shows not only scant regard for rule of law but also arrogance of the perpetrators. What is even more disturbing is the silence of the powerful

- KAPIL SIBAL

THE prime minister, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, referred to our country as the ‘mother of democracy’. These words ring hollow given the scale of violence fuelled by heart-rending incidents of intolerance that our political system breeds and the rampant lust for power. The genesis is the unfurling of divisive political agendas. They in turn feed into the psyche of dominant cultural mindsets that demand obedience. Any attempt to resist is met with brutal responses.

We live in a state where those who rule are bereft of empathy, act with impunity and ensure that the system manipulates the desired outcomes. Leaders who owe allegiance to the Constitution along with ‘Andh Bhakts’ who are the votaries of this establishment are at the forefront of this brutality that evokes both fear and disgust. It is difficult to imagine the ‘mother of democracy’ witnessing the mowing down of our farmers by a cavalcade associated with the Union minister of state for home affairs. The Lakhimpur Kheri incident shows not only scant regard for rule of law but also arrogance of the perpetrators. What is even more disturbing is the silence of the powerful.