As we all know, we're going through a tumultuous political time, which is putting Indian democracy into a highly inflammable litmus test, which is inevitable and lot of myths should be broken, mercilessly...!
One such myth is called 'precedence' and we've been vocal about such precedences, every where including in our law making houses.
I'm not getting into the debate on the sanctity of these houses at all. That's a separate subject and we would definitely engage about it at a different occasion.
Coming back to our subject, I am forced to write about this, as I happened to read an article in a Malayalam vernacular daily called Mathrubhumi (remember, this is one daily which fought tooth & nail and supported many struggles against conglomerates like coca cola and its Draconian attitude against the local farmers and people in a small village called Plachimada in Perumatti Gram Panchayat in Palakkad), which in detail explained about the need for not withdrawing these one sided farm fills in the wake of huge protests happening at the National Capital....!! Very ironic, isn't it? The same daily, once vigorously wrote (its founder chairman Late Sri. M P Virendra Kumar was a champion of farmer's cause) about the need to amend laws to compensate affected farming community of Plachimada during their historic resistance in the beginning years of this millennium...?!
Now, let's examine this conventional argument of protecting the sanctity of the democratic institutions by setting right precedence. Yes! We, as responsible citizens and its representatives and its servants, have a huge responsibility to behave ourselves and create right precedence?!
Now, the question is what's right? As mentioned in the article (and it was heard earlier also, when there was civil society struggle happening for Janlokpal Bill, as well!), the laws cannot be made on the streets and the govts should not bow down to these people who are striking (or struggling/ suffering for their livelihood rights?) on the roads...? By doing that, govt will set wrong precedence and more such strikes would happen, everytime a new law is introduced. That's a crazy argument..?!
First of all, how is an 'andolan' or movement against govt happens? This happens everytime, when the govt doesn't engage themselves its stakeholders who happened to give them the mandate to make laws. Here, in the farmers' case, what caused govt to draft a law with all bureaucratic excellence of complexities and rush it through parliament in haste and nervousness? Or is it nervousness or arrogance in passing a bill like this? Now, who's demanding the withdrawal and redrafting of laws considering their inputs in reforming the system...? The demand is from the stakeholders and not from the onlookers?! That's the strength of democracy. Now, accepting mistake and correcting the course would help the nation thrive unitedly and would enhance the democratic values of this country.
Moreover, if it's a wrong precedence in accepting the demands and withdrawing the bills, which will pave way to perennial strikes and demands for each laws, then after the Janlokpal Bill, there should have been numerous strikes and movements for every other law passed in the parliament. Did that happen? Even for non implementation of Jan Lokpal for almost half a decade, there were no stir other than an occasional judicial comment from the SC...?! So, it's absurd to think that withdrawal of books under pressure would invite more troubles and strikes like this?!
A democratic govts' strength is to not to push its people to this extent to come on roads. This struggle could have been avoided, had the govt engaged with those hapless farmers who have multiple indications of what is brewing?! No govt should underestimate the citizens at any point of time. That's the lesson of this struggle.
Now, if the govt withdraws bills and engage with farmers in redrafting the bills, taking into their confidence and eliminating their insecurities, the same govt emerge champions for sure.
Let's create precedences of democratic values rather than arrogance and bureaucratic egos...?!
