2024-09-04 07:09:25
New Delhi: Protests are going on across the country over the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital. There was a lot of politics over this incident. BJP is cornering the Mamata Banerjee government of West Bengal on this issue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about making strict laws on incidents like rape from the Red Fort. At the same time, CJI DY Chandrachud also made sharp comments during the hearing in this case in the Supreme Court. Amidst all this, now President Draupadi Murmu has also reacted strongly to the incident. In this case, she said strictly, ‘Enough is enough.’ This is her strongest statement so far as President. Before this, no President had expressed his reaction in this way. With the President’s sharp reaction, it is expected that a strict law can be made to stop such incidents in the country.
President’s statement raised hopes
Students are protesting on the streets regarding the Kolkata case. The Chief Minister of West Bengal is writing a letter to the Prime Minister. BJP is accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of failing to take action in the case. At the same time, the ruling TMC has accused the BJP of politicizing the incident. There has been a ruckus in the political corridors since this incident. Other opposition parties also have a similar attitude. The bottom line is that all political parties and leaders are playing the game of tu-tu-main-main. Meanwhile, such a statement from the President is considered very important. It shows that she wants to hold the governments accountable on this issue. It is also clear that the President is concerned about the increasing crimes against women.
Central and state governments were also given indications
This statement of the President is being considered a serious criticism for the Center and the governments. It is being seen as a rebuke by the first citizen of the country to the governments for putting the criminals behind bars and improving the law and order. The President’s stance has given different signals to both the governments. In this case, Mamata Banerjee as the Chief Minister should ensure that the culprits are not saved and the Center should ensure that the CBI investigating this case investigates in a fair and independent manner and keeps the state government informed about its investigation.
Many questions are arising in the politics of polarization
In a piece written in the Indian Express, senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury said that in the politics of polarisation, some more questions also arise. Was the imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal being advocated, especially when West Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose was in Delhi to meet the Union Home Minister? Some others questioned the silence on the gruesome cases of attack in Manipur. After failing to defeat Mamata Banerjee politically, many in the BJP may be thinking of President’s rule in West Bengal, as now “didi” appears to be on the backfoot. Central rule can be imposed only when constitutional mechanisms fail, a constitutionally elected government cannot be removed just because of problems on the law and order front. Risking unrest in West Bengal at the moment would also be politically dangerous. With a restive Bangladesh on its borders, it could have ramifications for the eastern and northeastern parts of India.
Political parties keep attacking each other
Sensing a political opportunity in the Kolkata incident, political parties are using it to attack each other. While all political parties should come together on such issues so that the culprits get harsh punishment and justice is ensured, political outrage over such incidents in the country is also expressed selectively. In 2020, when a Dalit woman was gangraped and murdered in Hathras, the authorities cremated her in the dark of the night without informing her family. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took charge of the incident and travelled to Hathras. Though they have condemned the rape-murder of the doctor in Kolkata, none of them have visited Kolkata yet, which Congress opponents consider a mere sham. Rahul later fuelled TMC’s anger by blaming administrative lapses for what happened.
It is not wrong to attack the opposition, but…
This does not mean that there is no place for competitive politics in a parliamentary democracy. If the BJP had not supported the doctors protesting on the streets of Kolkata, it would not have been able to prove its existence as an opposition party. If the opposition parties had not condemned the release of the 11 people convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family members, the Supreme Court might not have cancelled the release of the convicts. But there comes a time when political parties have to draw a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ and this is fast disappearing. The first demand of the angry public and a political class in the Kolkata case was the death penalty. Mamata Banerjee and others have demanded strengthening the anti-rape law and death penalty for the rapist. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has suggested that the punishment given to the rapists should be publicised as much as the case itself, so that it becomes a deterrent. Now the question is: is the death penalty a solution?
The government lacks both imagination and will
India has perhaps the harshest laws against rape of any democratic country. After the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi and the formation of the Justice Verma Commission, the Nirbhaya Helpline (112) was set up as well as the Nirbhaya Fund. Sadly, even after 10 years, less than half the funds have been utilised, which shows the lack of both imagination and will of those in power. President Murmu being elected President must have made every tribal girl in the country feel that she too can achieve this position. It made many feel proud that finally a tribal woman from the periphery of India is leading the Indian state and its armed forces. Now, given her strong remarks, all eyes will be on President Murmu. What steps does she take to bring about the change in mindset that she spoke passionately about. Can she reshape the system without breaking the constitutional Laxman Rekha that delimits her powers then she may encourage those who are already fighting.