Maharashtra in a state of despondency

 

      Today, Maharashtra, a state that is known for its progressive, cultural and noble tradition of liberal politics, will be down with shame to see how the leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state conspired and filed false charges against the leaders of the opposition – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

       Out of sheer revenge, the leaders from the ruling alliance conspired and filed charges against the BJP leaders. This was recently exposed in the Legislature by the leader of the opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis when he presented evidence that showed how senior BJP leaders, including himself, were being implicated in various cases. He also gave full-proof evidence of how the public prosecutors pressurised the police personnel and tried to implicate the BJP leaders.

     Such acts of retaliation against political opponents are very common in dictatorial regimes. But in a democratic framework like ours, this is something unimaginable. I am sure, those who drafted the constitution might have also not imagined politics stooping that low in our country.

      Unfortunately, a section of the media does not dare to voice against this repression of the alliance government. It may be recalled that during the emergency, Indira Gandhi, for her demonic ambition of exercising complete control over the country, had not just imposed restrictions on the common man but had also denied the media, its freedom of expression.

      LK Advani, a senior BJP leader and minister of information and broadcasting during the then Janata government formed in 1977, had made a scathing remark about the role of some media houses during the Emergency. He had said, “The media was asked to bend, but they began crawling.” The pressure exerted by the authorities on the media houses during the Emergency was so inhumane that the media houses were left with no choice but to bend.

    Surprisingly today, some media houses in Maharashtra are refraining from saying anything against the dictatorship of the ruling alliance government, even when there are no Emergency-like restrictions imposed on them. Is it due to some kind of pressure from the government or is it for some ‘personal gains’ – is for the people to decide?

       The most shocking revelation was the evidence presented by Devendra Fadnavis in the Legislature which mentioned the name of a senior leader who is also called ‘Jaanta Raja’. This leader claims to be the disciple of the first chief minister of Maharashtra – Yashwantrao Chawan.

            The leader’s supporters, his well-wishers from the media and other litterateurs often claim that this leader has always strived to maintain a healthy relationship with the opposition setting aside his political motives. This leader, who is also often seen making tall claims about liberal democracy and brotherhood, has been conniving with some police officials to trap BJP leaders.

         This leader is also at the forefront of protesting against the ongoing crackdown against leaders from the alliance government, by the departments like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax, for their alleged illegal transactions. Appeals can be made in the court against the action taken by these investigating agencies. The leaders who are currently in custody have tried approaching the courts, but so far they haven’t got any relief.

           The police also have the authority to take necessary action against the BJP leaders as well, if found guilty. But to conspire and fabricate evidence against BJP leaders is serious. The evidence presented by the leader of the opposition Devendra Fadnavis is merely the tip of the iceberg.

      The leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, on various occasions, have trampled on democratic values and exhibited their brutal mentality of taking political revenge by implicating the leaders of the opposition in various cases and crimes. The country might not have witnessed such kind of reckless and indiscriminate use of power. Maybe the ruling party is not sure of coming back to power and hence they have now stooped so low out of sheer frustration.

      The leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi might have forgotten how the destiny of dictators around the globe has paid them back, including that of Indira Gandhi.

        It may be recalled how during the Emergency, there was no institutional structure to protect democracy from the dictatorship of those in power. How the bureaucracy of that time considered it a blessing to be a slave at the hands of the ruling dictatorship. The bureaucracy did not mind strangling the freedom of expression of even ordinary citizens. The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi has also made a mockery of democracy by forcing the bureaucracy in the state to dance to its tune.

      The evidence presented by Devendra Fadnavis has numerous examples that showed how the police were used to file charges against 28 persons. The evidence also shows how the public prosecutor gave instructions about whom to implicate in MCOCA, citing the drug trade. It also showed how the evidence was shot on camera, how Reiki was conducted to ensure that cameras were not installed when the evidence was being planted and how senior officials including the chief minister and the director-general of the police were present for these meetings.

       Also, in the murder case of businessman Mansukh Hiran, Devendra Fadnavis based on the ‘CDR’ had accused the then cop Sachin Vaze. Vaze was accused in connection with the explosive-laden car outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia residence. At that time, the chief minister had covered Vaze by saying that ‘Sachin Vaze is not Osama Bin Laden’. But after Fadnavis submitted the CDR, the government had no choice but to take action against Vaze. The evidence presented by Fadnavis in the ongoing Assembly session is as strong as the CDR. It is disheartening to see politics stooping so low in Maharashtra.

        The country has witnessed repression during the tenure of Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister. During her tenure, there had been a few deaths, mysteries around which have not yet been resolved. Even today, people haven’t forgotten the Nagarwala Bank scam where on May 24, 1971, the Delhi branch of the State Bank of India had received a call allegedly from the office of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi demanding Rs 60 lakh. The caller had instructed the bank official to collect the transaction receipt from the Prime Minister’s Office. Later it was learnt that a man named Rustom Nagarwala had laundered money from the State Bank of India in the name of the Prime Minister.

       Nagarwala was arrested. Later he died mysteriously during an investigation. The bank manager and some other witnesses involved also died under suspicious circumstances. It was said that the then Indira Gandhi-led government had not shown any interest in bringing out the truth in this investigation.

        Also, during the tenure of Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister, a Congress leader Lalit Narayan Mishra, who was also the railway minister, had died suspiciously. His wife had exposed the flaws in the CBI probe. VM Tarkunde, a renowned jurist, had submitted a report to the Bihar government. Tarkunde had publicly expressed surprise how the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had not shown any interest in the investigation of the entire matter.

        The reason behind mentioning both these instances here is – during both the incidents, Congress was in power in the Centre and today it is one of the alliance partners in the state government. The suspicious death of Mansukh Hiran, his connection with the explosives found outside Antilia – all of these instances are reminiscent of the above mentioned two incidents.

        The evidence shows the mindset of the big leaders of the Shiv Sena and the NCP. The conspiracy hatched by the leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi to cover up their bad deeds and to implicate BJP leaders in different crimes based on false evidence is a disgrace to democracy. If this continues, it will not be incorrect to say that ‘Maharashtra is in a state of despondency’.

 

(Pre-Published in Times of India, 30 March 2022)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson.