When power becomes the determinant of party sympathies

First of all, let’s talk about the train accident. Why did this terrible accident happen? How did this happened? Was there a larger conspiracy at work? Though the CBI has started its investigation, every fatal accident requires an extensive relief effort before investigation. The government is leaving no stone unturned, but what are the opposition parties doing? They are politicizing it the old fashioned way. They are sitting in the armchair criticizing and waiting for the next problem. They could have sent volunteers and aid from the states where they are in power, but they chose to speak only.

Such situations are not new. An example of this was the Kedarnath disaster of 2013. When the natural disaster broke out in Kedarnath, the Congress was in power at the Centre. This was also targeted in a similar way. Our politicians believe in opposing just for the sake of opposing.

Another example of this is the controversy after the collapse of a bridge in Bhagalpur, Bihar, which was constructed at a cost of crores of rupees. 1,700 crores. The Bharatiya Janata Party was then a coalition partner. At that time Rashtriya Janata Dal and other opposition parties strongly condemned the government. Last week, the power equation in Bihar had taken a U-turn after a major part of the bridge collapsed once again. BJP is no longer in power in Bihar; It is RJD. Now you can compare the recent and past statements given by BJP and RJD leaders. Whatever the leaders of BJP are saying now, the leaders of RJD have already said yesterday.

Does it affect the average person?

Let’s remember last October. The Gujarat Assembly election campaign was at its peak. Meanwhile, a bridge over the Machchu river in Morbi collapsed, killing around 135 people. Most of the victims were residents of Morbi and its surrounding areas. An attempt was made by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party to make it an election issue. The verbal attacks started, but how effective was it? BJP’s Kantilal Shivlal Amritiya was declared the winner from Morbi after the election results were declared. This does not mean that the public is not sick of corruption. Since they find the same people in all parties, they do not associate voting with corruption.

There was a time when our politicians were sensitive to such tragedies. In the early 80s, a high-tension electric wire fell on a Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation bus in rural Allahabad (now Prayagraj). Thirty passengers died. I myself saw that dreadful scene. I was curious to know the reaction of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Janeshwar Mishra after returning from the accident site. Both replied almost in the same manner, “It is a sad time, it is not right to say anything.”

The same trend can be seen in the case of Manipur also. Violence broke out in the state after the court’s order. Clashes broke out between the majority community Meitei and the minority Kuki tribe. So far, more than 100 people have been killed and around 30,000 people have been evacuated. The atrocity peaked last week when an ambulance was torched. A Meitei woman married to a Kuki man, her sick child and a female relative of theirs were killed in the attack. Breaking caste, religion and tribal barriers was once seen as the prime objective of progress in our society and resolutions were taken for the same. The recent violence has not only disrupted the peace effort but also nullified decades of hard-earned efforts achieved by civil society and administration. As a journalist, I spent many days in remote areas of Manipur and Nagaland in the 1990s. There I understood what separatism is and how the Indian government has to do everything possible to maintain the sovereignty of the country.

Have you seen any senior opposition leader commenting on Manipur violence to heal people’s wounds or appeal for peace? Our politicians use different phrases when they are in power and when they are in opposition. Their attitude changes depending on their place in the power equation. As we head towards the 2024 General Elections, the political atmosphere is looking increasingly likely to seep into more animosity.

Can we ever expect an egalitarian policy and a sensible approach from our popular politicians?

Shashi Shekhar is the editor-in-chief, India. Thoughts are personal.

Updated: June 11, 2023, 10:04 PM IST