Mallika Dureja
Senior Congress leader and party spokesman Pawan Khera was requested to deplane from an IndiGo flight between Delhi and Indore. The stated explanation was “lost luggage.” As Khera stepped off the aircraft, paramilitary personnel surrounded him as if he were a feared terrorist. The Assam Police then apprehended Khera, a slight, slender man.
What was the heinous offence that Khera committed? Instead of “Damodardas,” Khera referred to the late father of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “Gautamdas.” Whether Khera intended to mock Modi by referencing his close relationship with the embattled billionaire Gautam Adani or it was a genuine slip of the tongue, Khera promptly apologised. And there, in the largest democracy on earth, the matter should have been resolved.
Prime Minister Modi frequently and proudly refers to India as the “mother of democracy.” The rule of law and the freedom of expression are fundamental to a democracy. Let’s start with the rule of law. Which section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) grants the government, in the form of the police, the authority to detain citizens for violating the prohibition against making fun of Modi or any other politician? Unlike monarchies, India has no penal provisions for lese majeste, which is an offence against the crown.
We are an extremely elated democracy. Modi has frequently referred to Mahatma Gandhi as “Mohanlal” instead of “Mohandas.” I am willing to believe that our prime minister had a genuine slip of the tongue, but if the police can apprehend Khera for a slip of the tongue, shouldn’t this arbitrary intolerance apply equally to all leaders?
Khera is the principal opposition party’s spokesperson, so what message is the Centre sending to the general public, journalists, and activists? You have no freedom of expression; you will be arrested if you say anything the Center does not approve of. This comes after Kerala-based journalist Siddique Kappan was arrested in 2020 for attempting to report the gang rape and murder in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. Kappan was detained prior to filing a story. Similarly, a comedian was detained before he could tell a joke at a performance because the police believed that his jokes would incite communal unrest. What kind of nation imprisons a comedian?
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The recent “survey” by the Income Tax Department of the BBC’s offices in Delhi and Mumbai, which lasted three days, occurred just days after the BBC aired (outside of India) a documentary critical of Modi and questioning his involvement in the Gujarat massacres of 2002. The government went so far as to block connections and assault students who attempted to view the documentary. A leader of the BJP referred to the BBC in vulgar terms. In essence, the Government’s overreach gave the BBC massive publicity and signalled to the world that Modi had a thin tolerance for criticism. It is anticipated that Democratic leaders will have broad shoulders to shrug off criticism and not attempt to crush a butterfly on a wheel.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the former chief minister of Assam who defected from the Congress and joined the BJP, will now play an intriguing role. Sarma, an extremely ambitious politician who is known as a doer within the BJP, hurries into extreme action in an effort to win over Modi’s favour. In the Khera case, the Assam Police were involved because a FIR had been filed in Assam. Jignesh Mevani was detained by the Assam Police for a tweet from Gujarat last year. Sarma appears overly anxious to demonstrate his loyalty to Modi.
As India assumes the presidency of the G-20 with Modi in the international spotlight, is this the visage we wish to present to the world? India cannot afford another Emergency of Indira Gandhi’s magnitude. Let us not repeat our nation’s darkest chapter.
In a democracy, we are all citizens, not bhakts (devotees) of any god other than our Constitution. Let’s not destroy Indian democracy, it is our proudest laurel.
