India can't be a mobocracy

It is quite unfortunate that few sections of youth in colleges and universities, self-proclaimed intellectuals, shallow analysts, and arm-chair elite consider arson, vandalism, religious fear-mongering as acts of dissent.

India is a democracy not a mobocracy. Indian Constitution provides for freedom of expression, as long as it does not interfere and violate other's fundamental rights. Dissent is a form of expression, so is support. However, neither can transgress rights and responsibilities citizens have under the provisions of the Constitution.

One can't brazenly lie, propagate misinformation, mislead illiterate masses under the umbrella provision of freedom of speech. These acts are certainly violative of the laws of the land and can invoke punitive action by law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system.

Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 (CAA) is a limited and one-time applicable citizenship legislation for select category of refugees seeking refuge under religious persecution as minorities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

This act has only relaxed one eligibility criteria of residence for these refugees from 11 years to five years for granting citizenship. It has nothing to do with the regular citizens of India, no matter what faith they belong to.

Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) has been passed through the due course of parliamentary process and has been passed by both Houses of Parliament with more than required majority. This is exactly how laws are made in a democracy.

Laws are not made or withdrawn because few ill-informed, illiterate, violent mobs propped up by divisive and desperate opposition parties come on to the streets. Laws are not made on streets, they are made in the legislative houses like Assemblies and Parliament.

India is not a mobocracy and cannot ever be drawn into being one. Illiterate mobs in universities and on the streets can protest however long, the law making process cannot change by popular opinion of the select groups, with an anti-government, anti-India and illegitimately motivated political agenda.

India is not a banana republic to have unruly mobs dictating which laws should be made and which shouldn't be. We cannot have media trials or kangaroo courts making judgements against an elected government.

India is a systemic nation built solidly on a plank of electoral multi-party democracy.

India is built on constitutional processes, parliamentary systems and practices. The three branches of the State - legislative, executive and judiciary - have their clearly defined roles.

Citizens have constitutionally provided fundamental rights, duties and responsibilities.

Dissent is acceptable but not violence and anarchy in the name of dissent. Any deviant attempt to destabilise the framework of this nation for political expediency of a few political parties, will not be allowed.

Indian government will weed out the distractors of this nation and bring them to justice, if they impose unruliness and lawlessness in any part of the country.

The pseudo-intellectuals who try to connect CAA with a non-existent and imaginary (National Register of Citizens) NRC is the height of obfuscation politics. As the Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated in Parliament, NRC will be applied across the nation legally and constitutionally in the due course.

However, why is the Congress, the TMC, the MIM and the TRS like parties are presuming its framework, even without a draft NRC Bill and Cabinet approval? Why are they hallucinating and misleading the Muslims of this nation? Why are they brazenly indulging in hate politics?

The Congress party, which has by now been relegated to being a tail-ender party of the small, regional parties in India, is trying to score some political points for its resurrection from the grave.

The Congress is desperately trying to ignite and fan the flames of communalism across the nation using the usual network of mentally unstable communist youth and few ignorant, half-baked, elitist groups.

However, this low level of obfuscation and hate politics will only result in a self-goal of sorts to the Congress party and its stooges like the TMC, the TRS, the MIM, the DMK and a few others.

Voters across the nation are able to see through the secular masks these parties are wearing, while they take clear positions on religious lines in reference to CAA issue.

The BJP wonders why the Congress, the TMC, the TRS, the DMK and others are so vengeful and against Hindu minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan? But, so dramatically leaning towards Muslim minority in India, especially when Muslims in India are facing zero religious oppression and are free from any type of persecution.

Opposition parties in India are doing serious disservice to the nation by destroying centuries-old interfaith harmony which existed in this country, by indulging in religious hate politics.

A few desperate Opposition parties in India are working against the very 'Idea of India' and ideals of religious tolerance etched in the soul of this nation. Indian constitution came into play only since 1950, but the secular and inclusive values of this land are since time immemorial.

Colonial, enslaved and elitist mindset of a few educated illiterates are a curse to this nation. Those who are supposed to educate and guide people are misleading and manipulating the gullible masses, especially uneducated Muslims.

India cannot be turned into a mobocracy, just because the Congress wants it that way, for its political survival. The tolerant legacy of this nation cannot be muddled and besmirched by a few ideologically bankrupt parties for fulfilling their singular agenda for attaining power and to continue their family dynasty.

(The author is the chief spokesperson of the BJP Telangana State unit and an organisational strategist)