Tolerating the traitors
I fail to understand what has happened to the people of India? Our sensitivity has totally vanished now. And let us understand this clearly that the society which loses its sense of nationalism collapses within no time. We are already witnessing the fast decay of the Indian society. The (mis)happening in Maharashtra, in Kashmir, in states of north-east or for that matter in any other state, is occurring only due to the lack of a sense of patriotism. The condition of a nation, where honour of nationalism has no place; where the Constitution is ruined and the threads which tie the nation together are criminally broken; can very well be imagined. India just celebrated 60th Republic Day, but the people of India, social organisations of India and the political parties of India have maintained an irresponsible silence kept on the issue of why the national Tri-colour was not unfurled in Srinagar's Lal Chowk on this day. For the last 20 years or so, our national flag is being ceremonially hoisted in Srinagar's famous Lal Chowk. But this time the Tricolour was not to be seen there, but yes, people did certainly witness the Pakistani flag in some places in Kashmir. The ugly irony is this that the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah had himself initiated the move to stall the hoisting of the national flag at Lal Chowk. Being the Constitutional representative of the Indian state, the Chief Minister of the state was not at all supposed to state that to avoid 'unnecessary controversy' the unfurling ceremony at Lal Chowk had been prohibited. And on this, un-government like logic, the state government itself prevented the security forces from continuing with the tradition of honouring the national flag. The decision was obviously too demoralizing not only for the forces but also for Kashmiris and for the people of rest of the India. Lal Chowk, without the national flag on 26th January, virtually covered by an iron curtain, clearly showed in whose claws Indian democracy is grabbed after all. The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir must face the legal consequences for the crime to dishonour the nation and the Constitution. He must be sued under the Prevention of Insults to National Honor Act-1971 and Flag Code of India-2002. But who will raise this voice? Why the Indian masses are silent on this important and sensitive issue? Why the political parties, social organisations and the Indian media have clammed up? One political party, the BJP, did a mere formality by releasing a press statement condemning the Jammu & Kashmir Government, and that was all. The BJP rightly termed it a 'meek surrender' of the J&K government to the militants, but why didn't the BJP announce an agitation against the anti-national approach of an Indian politician and that too a sitting Chief Minister? Is it a forced fashion in India to condemn only Bal Thackeray-Raj Thackeray and not to open one's mouth against such anti-national politicians who are enjoying the privilege of Article 370 and defiling the Indian constitution also? Realising the importance of the national flag for independent India, the Constituent Assembly set up a Flag Committee on June 23, 1947 to decide the national flag. The committee was headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, K M Panikkar, Sarojini Naidu, C Rajagopalachari, K M Munshi and Dr B R Ambedkar were its members. After detailed deliberations, the Flag Committee arrived at the decision on July 14, 1947. The national flag was unanimously accepted by all parties and communities and it was constitutionally adopted. Then where is the question of 'un-necessary-controversy' on hoisting the national flag? Why did Omar Abdullah give an un-constitutional statement and prevented the security forces from unfurling the national flag? It is clear what kind of lessons he has been taught by his grandfather and his father. Is it not like an open expression of a traitor? If a Chief Minister doesn't understand that the national flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India, and it is the symbol of our national pride, then what is the use of such politicians? Why we are tolerating them? Over the last five decades, several people, including members of armed forces, have ungrudgingly laid down their lives to keep the Tri-colour flying in its full glory. On the contrary, the Abdullahs, Thackerays and a long list of politicians have cursed this sentiment. Our politicians have intentionally made such an education system for the nation that we are given all education except the education that generates morality, patriotism and nationalism. We are slowly forgetting the importance of the nation in our lives and of those lives which have been laid down for country's pride. The silence on this crime is a sin. About 54 per cent of Indians are below 25 years of age and India is the youngest nation on the globe. A young nation yet silent? It is really surprising. (Published in By-Line National News Weekly (Hindi and English) February 13, 2010 Issue under regular column - Last Punch)
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