The news is that the National Advisory Council has drafted a Communal Violence Bill with the purpose of presenting it in Parliament and getting it passed. This does not auger well for democracy because the whole premise of the NAC is anti-democracy. The NAC has bypassed democratic institutions and is acting as a super Parliament. The intentions of the NAC are questionable because it cannot supersede the Parliament.
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By the way what is the NAC? Who constituted it and why? Where does the NAC fit into a democracy? At best if one sincerely and honestly answers these questions it can be a 'club' over which is presided by UPA Chairperson perhaps for some vested interest.
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It is a conglomeration of NGO members - handpicked by the Congress. Their qualification being they are pro Congress - to be specific pro the Chair Person and anti Modi. Their credentials are: bashing Modi-enjoying enormous clout both political and social - unaccountable to the people and of course drawing and enjoying vast foreign funds. These are mostly NGOs who are also spokespersons of the foreign funding agencies and hence they speak and act according to the wishes of the donors. Here lies the catch. Where does such a body fit into a democracy? This is indirect interference in the affairs of the country by foreign countries/agencies.
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Right from day one, some prominent Congress functionaries have been bypassing democratic institutions and violating democratic norms. The first and most significant of the actions was to handpick the Prime minister. The PM himself is not an elected member of the Lok Sabha but had to come through the backdoor – namely the Rajya Sabha. This does not indicate a vibrant democracy. The PM must be elected by the people-he should face the electorate and he must be a Lok Sabha member. This is a basic democratic norm.
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The Parliament is the forum to introduce legislations and to work out strategies for the country’s development. It is also called upon to prioritize the needs of the people - to reflect the aspirations of the people whom it represents. All this is swept under the carpet and the Parliament has become more an ornament and a show piece to show cause that we have a democracy. This has been a subtle vicious subversion of democracy by the UPA. The Chairperson is an MP and whatever is desired to be highlighted it is done in Parliament. With this influence where is the need to gather a group of ‘yes’ men and women – consolidate a coterie and create a super Parliament called the NAC meant to advise the government. Pray then why have we ministries and the various departments attached to them.
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The National Advisory Council whose members are specifically and exclusively selected and appointed can at best be their private friends and well wishers. It cannot be given the mandate to draft crucial Bills and prioritize the needs of the nation. It can be a public forum to debate and create awareness as all the public can on important issues. There its utility and value stops. A cursory scrutiny of the members reveals the tilt and the danger that lurks within the NAC.
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Persons like Asgar Ali Engineer who simply speaks always not facts but cooks up facts because he speaks. Harsh Mandar who is a Modi basher and is hence qualified to be in the NAC. These are but two names that stick out and indicate the tenor and tone of the NAC. It is this NAC which has brought the Food Security Bill this again because a higher up in Congress - feels that hunger has not been targeted. So then why not find ways and means to target hunger? What is Below the Poverty Line Numbers of the Planning Commission indicate if not the numbers with hungry stomachs? It has to have the sheen of members of Gandhi clan because they can go to the electorate showing how, because of their intervention, hunger has been targeted. It is cheap gimmicks at best.
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It is in this back ground that the Prevention of communal and targeted Violence Bill be viewed. The intent is flawed - it is biased, nay, it is dangerous because it is the first step towards Emergency. Banish all non-Congress governments is the main intent. For this a camouflage of communal violence must be spread. Then the ground be cleared for the NGOs - the saviours of democracy to step in and demand the State government to be made accountable for the graves with burned bodies -though such does not exist; use the most despicable method of making women the armour and scream that women are stripped and raped - which they alone know and are aware of - children killed - bodies heaped and burned - men missing - these and many more. But first create a mirage of riot. Towards this gathers a few rioters which is not difficult. The setting is well centre staged and the demand for the Centre’s intervention becomes hoarse and shrill. The Centre in the meantime will be equipped with Article 355 to intervene.
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Everything is stage planned. The Centre need not make the State Raj Bhavans as its local Congress office. Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mandar are there to lead the orchestra -‘dismiss the anti-people government. It is easy for the Governor to perform his/her pre-emptory task of filing a report to the President. The shriek voices have already reached the Rastrapati Bhavan - and the ultimate happens: the State Government is dismissed and Art 356 is clamped. So one has to draw up the whole plan of the scheming NAC and how it works for the Congress to impose President’s rule. This will happen only in non Congress States that is for certain.
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Now one must look into the riots and the rioting. The population is already entrenched in divisive politics. People are all divided under religion, and caste. So even if five persons assemble and create a ruckus it can be a riot between one community against the other because there will be three from one community and two from another. Similarly fences have been well set and ghettos structured keeping people within these. One religion against the other - a small street corner fight can be escalated as a riot in no time and like wild fire it will spread. The champions of Communal harmony will see how the Minority communities are intimidated, threatened, tortured and killed and burned. Such allegations though false will be sweet to the donor countries of the NGOs and Congress party would become the fighting archangel to defend these minority communities. The only persons to understand the needs of the minorities and the starvation lot would be Congressis, it is made to look so. Intentions do not make the goal. All these years of Congress regime what they have been doing? The NAC had only to let loose a few of their foot soldiers in the name of protecting the minorities and then things will take its own course. Let the Congress Party not forget that it cannot get washed clean of the Sikh riots - the genocide of 30,000 Sikhs across the country. And yet it is the Gujarat riots which the NAC is obsessed with.
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The Bill against Communal and Sectarian Violence sounds good and looks innocent but under its wraps is a danger - the most dangerous weapon to strike at democracy. It is like the Emergency that the NAC is working at. The sooner the people realize this the better and the sooner the Members of Parliament realize that they are being side stepped and demolished - and Parliament is being threatened so sooner they need to take up this issue in all seriousness and dismantle the NAC. Parliament is supreme and it alone can introduce debate - draft what is needed for the people. They alone can represent the people’s needs and demand redressals. The PM has his ministers to advise him according to the area of need-of late it has always been the appointment of a group of Empowered ministers - that have to be engaged in some dynamics of discussing, advising and exchanging dossiers.
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Why should we have a selected and appointed forum to supersede Parliament-to advise the PM? This is a disgrace and a blur on democracy. May be this NAC can also have an appendage - a group of rioters to let loose when the need arises……..
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Down with the National Advisory Council - a threat and a violation of democracy.
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Dr Mrs Hilda Raja,
Vadodara
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With due apologies to the author, the text of the above write up has been suitably edited by the host.
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