We celebrated the 66th Independence Day on August 15. It is just a co-incident that the father of the Indian constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was declared the Greatest Indian since 1947 by a well recognized poll conducted by the CNN-IBN TV Channel on the Independence Day itself. But where are we heading after 65 years of independence and 62 years of the proclamation and adoption of the constitution? The parliament is not allowed to function for the last two days by the opposition mainly the BJP on some matters of alleged corruption in the coal sector on the basis of the CAG report. They are demanding the resignation of the PM and his government. The government is ready to debate the matter in the parliament but the opposition is pressing for the resignation and is not interested in debate. It is a negation of the principles of democracy itself. It is not understandable why the PM should resign when he enjoys support of majority in the Lok Sabha. Does the opposition want mid-term elections? Why PM should oblige them? Why don’t they bring-in a no-confidence motion against the PM and his government and defeat them on the floor of the house, if they feel so strongly. Under the arrangements, CAG is a watch-dog to over-see the accounts and conduct audit on the acts and deeds of the government and report to government. The government is turn present the CAG report to the parliament where the PAC of the parliament will examine it and report back. This laid down procedure is not over and the opposition is interested in procedure. They intend to take the entire country to ransom – the itch to come back to power irrespective of the constitutional provisions to handle the situation. It is estimated that it costs two and a half crore a day to run the parliament and the current year alone 200 man hours have been lost in disturbances in the parliament so far. Are we heading for the “Grammar of Anarchy” as sounded by the Greatest Indian since independencece, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
The CAG report is important and must be considered in seriousness. In fact, while replying to the debate in the constituent assembly, DR. Ambedkar termed the office of the Audit and Accountant General as one of the most important powerful. We should be happy that the system is working. The CAG reports have the potential to bring the government to its toes. But we are not interest in the smooth run of the system due to vested interests and narrow political gains. It is a pity. Democracy would work only when we adhere to constitutional means and practices. Unfortunately, we are increasingly losing sight of these lofty ideals. The sooner we mend ourselves the better. It will good to listen to the warning given by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in constituent assembly on November 25, 1949 in his last speech before the constitution was passed. He said “If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form but also in fact, what we must do? The first thing in my judgment we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned the better for us. “
But unfortunately, the elite of the BJP like Sudhendra Kulkarni ( please see his article in the recent special issue of the Outlook magazine on the greatest Indian) and Arun Shourie ( of infamous book False Gods) are not inclined to recognize Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a wise statesman who is as relevant today as it was before. This lop sided thinking is driving India to the brink. We must guard ourselves.
