Author: Vishweshwar Bhat
Publication: Vijaya Karnataka
Date: November 18, 2004
[Shri Vishweshwar Bhat is the Chief
Editor of 'Vijaya Karnataka'- a Kannada Daily from Bangalore.
In an article published in this daily (on 18-11-2004), he deftly
brings forth the truth that in our present day 'Secular' and 'Socialist'
Bharat, Law could be a weapon to terrorise the helpless people, while
the mighty ones are able to deflect it uncompunctiously. Written
in the background of the arrest of the Kanchi Shankaracharya, this
article needs to be read by all thinking persons, who are silently
watching the development. An English translation of the article is
being made available to you for your perusal by Rashtrotthan Research
and Communication Centre (RRCC).]
Possibly, no one expected this to
happen. And, such an incident can happen only in our country.
A meticulously organized effort
is under way to make the people suspect Swami Jayendra Saraswati,
the most revered head of the Hindu Religious Centre, Kanchi Kamakoti
Peetham, as a murderer. Let the court decide whether he is the one
or not. It is not my point. My point is that he is already being
treated as a murderer and has been subjected to many mazy questions.
Even before the court's pronouncement that he is an offender, he
is being treated as one. This, to me, is a most important question.
Tell me, where else in the world
would you find such an ill-treatment met to a religious leader of
the majority community of the country?
Let me remind. The Kanchi Kamakoti
Mutt, is a hoary institution established by Shri Adi Shankara which
sanctifies our land, Bharata Varsha. The head of such an adored institution
is now being ill treated. His arrest at the dead of the night, that
too on the eve of the Diwali festival, when he was engaged in a special
pooja, and then forcing him to travel overnight hundreds of miles
(from Mehboob nagar in AP to Chennai), placing him in a lock up as
if he is an ordinary culprit, ruling out a request made on his behalf
to place him in house arrest, and exuberant hailing of this by the
Dravidian parties- all this makes one to smell a well organized plot.
It is really painful that the administration did not feel like showing
the ordinary curtsy to such an elderly, revered head of an important
religious institution, when he was being taken into custody.
Strange things happen in this country.
A murder takes place in the broad daylight and people who witness
it, simply sighingly disregard it (because they know that high and
mighty are behind it). Governments keep quiet when the culprits
belong to certain castes or religious creeds. The chief accused
in the multi-crore stamp paper scam was said to have been put behind
the bars, but all know that it was only for record's sake that he
was in jail. Other wise, he lived a five-star luxury life and was
even moving out in posh cars with a live-band set to continue his
operations. He could get any thing and every thing done by using
his mobiles in the full knowledge of Ministers and the Government!
Not even a hair of this criminal was daringly touched.
Industry Minister of Kerala, Mr.
Kutty, all know, is involved in a sex scandal. His offence is beyond
doubt, a number of witnesses being there. Any society that comes
to know of a person of such ugly crimes, will not have him as a Minister
even for a minute. No court is necessary to indict him. Yet, so far,
no action has been taken against him. A reporter of the 'Matrubhoomi'
daily who wrote about this Minister's exploits was assaulted. Similarly,
another photographer was chased and man-handled. The Chief
Minister dares not to ask the resignation from this Minister, because,
the Muslim League, the party to which he belongs, has resolved that
come what may, it won't allow him to be punished because his punishment
would amount to the defaming of the party! such being the case, where
is the law? Whither this democracy?
In the Kanchi Seer's case, statements
are being increasingly bandied that- 'no one is above the law, however
eminent the person be, he has to bow down'. Fine. True, no
one is above the law. Legal pronouncements are to be obeyed by all.
But should that not be equally applicable? Look what's actually happening.
The Imam of Jama Masjid had been summoned at least six times to appear
before a Court of Law. He did not do so. Then the Court ordered
a warrant which could not be even served on him! No body asked why?
Of course, there is no use in asking such a question. Because, it
is evident that the very law which expects all to bend before it,
will bow itself out in some specific cases. The Government
knows about the culprits who dared an attack on our parliament house. It
has ample profs. Even telephonic message records have been secured.
Since they know who master minded the crime, the law has been allowed to
keep silent.
Take the case of Laloo Prasad
Yadav. He has earned the fame for having sucked the state of
Bihar dry during a span of fifteen years. He successfully sucked
from every source. He could munch even the animal fodder to the tune
of a hundred crores. When he was so nibbling, no body could
notice it. Now that every body has noticed, nobody can do anything
about it. A court ordered him to prison. He happily went in.
How that prison life for him was, is well known. It was a posh bungalow
with all amenities there in. There were servants waiting on him to
meet his requirements. His food was being prepared in his home and
was being served by his wife, Smt. Rabdi Devi, who was also
the Chief Minster of the State. Any body could freely visit
him and also, he could summon state officials for giving them instructions.
The Income-Tax officials who were thinking of initiating an action
against him, because of accumulation of wealth far in excess to his
known sources of income, were asked to keep quiet. All these
go to show that the law was helpless and stood bowingly before him.
Tamil Nadu police have said that
a sudden action against the Swamiji was necessitated because he had
plans to escape into Nepal. Is it really believable that this
aged and an ailing person, when being incriminated for a murder,
is also being accused of planning to be a fugitive? Is he a Dawood
Ibrahim, an Abu Salem? a Tiger Mammon? We had allowed Dawood, a committer
of many heinous crimes, to easily escape from this county. Knowing
fully well his present whereabouts, it appears we are not seriously
trying to get him back! More importantly, when he was still with
in the country, we had allowed him to freely conspire against us.
It is now 10 years that he masterminded those serial bomb blasts in
Mumbai. He is yet at large and we are sitting quiet as if we are
not interested in catching him. Whereas we do little against the
destablilishing activities of such anti-national elements, we accuse the
Swamiji, who has not travelled to any foreign country and in fact, who
thinks foreign travel as religiously forbidden and the one who can not
even walk a length with out the help of his companions, that he was
planning to escape into Nepal. Is this a tolerable accusation?
The DMK, as is well known, is criticizing
and nagging Shri Jayendra Saraswati for the past thirty years. You
might not have forgotten that in 1991, when Swamiji was passing through
Saidapet in Chennai, some DMK workers instigated by Shri Karunanidhi,
had pelted stones and cow dung against him. DMK, has since
not let go any occasion that would bring slur on Shri Kanchi Mutt.
Before to the recent Loksabha elections, Shri Karunanidhi had accused
that Smt Jayalalitaa had applied the Anti-Conversion Law in Tamil
Nadu as per the desire of the Swamiji. And, soon after the election
defeat, Smt Jayalalitaa had repealed it. Smt Jayalalitaa is frightened
at the core that she would be demolished in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha
elections if she does not sizably get the minority support.
It might be that Shri Karunanidhi
has designed a strategy to put Smt Jayalalitaa in a dilemma in this
murder case. His aim is to renew the Dravidian Movement by accusing
Smt Jaya a 'Sanatani', if she were not to arrest Shri Jayendra Saraswati.
And, if she puts him behind the bars, she is sure to lose the Hindu
votes. Calculatedly, he is going to be the beneficiary of any of
her options.
DMK had lost its nerves because
of the heightened popularity of Smt Jayalalitaa following the killing
of the brigand, Veerappan. Smt. Jaya is also entertaining a
fear that the newly appointed Governor could some how be pressurized
to dismiss her Government on any manipulated ground. That's why she
must have moved swiftly to arrest the Swamiji. This would not only
prevent Shri Karunanidhi to come to the streets, it would also help
her to keep the leadership of the Dravida Movement for herself. It
is reasonable to think so in the prevailing political scenario in Tamil
Nadu.
In this cut-throat politics, the
real loser would be the Hindu Dharma. True, no body is above the
Law. But it is also true that there is no law for the mighty.
Now, tell me, how much secure is the majority community in our country?
