Puran Chand Sharma
The captioned quote is extremely significant in the sense that it conveys a very powerful message to all the inhabitants and citizens of the country they live in for being loyal to that country. It is their filial duty to love the land and soil of that country together with the perfect adherence to the law of the land after comprehensive debate in Parliament and passage with a majority vote. A few days back, the Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill has been passed after full throttled discussion and debate in the Parliament and the revered President of India has also granted her assent. There is no point in bluntly opposing it. This Article aims at thorough analysis and having a deeper look at the approach and projected behaviour of the citizens of second largest community of the country opposing the duly passed bill in the Parliament following the laid down democratic procedure. It sounds bizarre and irrational. Let us understand with proper sense of reasoning and moral sense. Just as a tree cannot flourish and survive without drawing sustenance from the soil beneath it, similarly we too cannot thrive without embracing the land that nurtures us. Please, do note love for the country is not only sentimental but a huge responsibility. Think of dare devil freedom fighters and fearless revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Ashfaq-Ullaha Khan and numerous others who happily laid down their lives for Independence of the country. They did so out of deep rooted love for their motherland and not for any kind of hatred for others. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar worked tirelessly to draft a constitution for protecting and uplifting everyone in the country. Loving one’s country means to contribute towards the prosperity of the country and not just by waving a flag on the national days, but by standing up for justice, caring for our environment, educating the next generation, and ensuring that no one is left impoverished. Just like a tree shelters others with its shade and fruits, we must give back to the land that has given us so much. This is not just love but a duty. It is the foundation of a strong, just and united society.
We are living in a democratic country wherein democracy has brilliantly matured over the years and is perfectly functional. In principle, disagreement with the government is not only expected, but also the most essential. Debate in the Parliamentary democracy is a sign of healthy and a thinking society.
However, in the recent times we are observing that current events surrounding the passage of Waqf Board (Amendment) Bill have exhibited an alarming drift in public discourse. We find that the protests have morphed into open threats which violate the spirit of democracy and tend to vitiate the ecosystem of parliamentary democracy. The on going protests have degenerated into calls to “Bulldoze the Indian Parliament.” This is the high time to ask ourselves: Are we nurturing the soil of democracy or poisoning it for the worst?
Dissent is democratic, not destructive
The Waqf Board Bill has sparked genuine concern in some sections of society. The volatile critics have been putting forward the arguments like, “This bill threatens the autonomy of religious Institutions”. The governments like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have passed resolutions in its opposition. West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir are also on the boil. This action does not reflect a robust democratic spirit, using constitutional mechanism to voice disagreement in a fairly reasonable manner. Dissent must draw its power from reason, not rage. In the event of individuals responding with threats of tearing down parliament, the country’s most sacred democratic space, the critiques choose to abandon the spirit of constructive opposition. It is the duty of the responsible citizens of the country to defend the system that honours the countrymen with freedom to lodge protests in the first place.
Rooted Patriotism
Loving own country does not mean blind submission and agreement. It means challenging injustice within the framework of law and the constitution. Gandhi opposed colonial injustice not with violence but with Satyagraha. Lala Lajpat Rai opposed Simon Commission by lodging peaceful protest but was beaten to death for freedom. While dying he said, “Every blow on my head shall prove to be the last nail in the coffin of British Empire.” The patriotism of Indian leaders was not passive. It was fierce, focussed and firmly rooted in India’s soil.
Reckless Rhetoric
It is generally experienced that when political speeches turn incendiary, it does not just threaten government buildings, it poses threat to the ‘spirit of democracy’. Such rhetoric risks widening communal divides, destabilizing governance and undermining the very rights people seek to protect. We must remember that louder the protests, the harder it becomes to hear the voices of reason.
Conclusion: Strengthen the Roots, Do Not Destroy Them
Once, Swami Ram Tirath, a Mathematician turned sanyasi was on a visit to Japan for spreading message of peaceful co-existence, spiritual enlightenment. While travelling far and wide, on one odd day, he was observing fast and felt like to have some fruits to pacify his urge for hunger in peak fasting time. He spotted a fruit vendor at the Railway Platform and went to him and bought few oranges, went to his seat and ate them. While consuming them, he felt that the oranges were not up to the mark. He went back to the vendor and brought this into his notice and murmured, “Japan does not grow oranges of the best quality”. The Japenese vendor humbly requested, “Indian Saint please, return those oranges and I would replace them with other oranges and requested him to desist from making any such statement that Japan does not grow oranges of the finest quality. This is how common Japanese displayed his patriotism.
We, therefore, need be grounded like the tree, firm in our values, flexible in the winds of change and ever grateful to the soil from which we seek sustenance for survival. If we truly love our country, we must protect its democratic roots. “Opposition is a right; destruction is not.” Let protest be bold, but let it be wise. Let the roots of justice run deep, not just in sentiment, but in the enduring values of democracy, justice and peaceful dissent, because if we poison the soil, no tree – not even the one of liberty can survive.
Jai Bharat
