West Bengal has been notorious for the subjugation of the entire administrative system to the politics of the ruling party. It began during communist rule and now continues under the Trinamool Congress. Every effort to revive the constitutional autonomy of officialdom has failed, as the level of compromise now runs deep. It is a gross misuse of the federal system and will require a serious people’s revolution for the rule of law to return.
At the same time, however, it is being seen that the law-and-order system is also coming under challenge in other states as ‘fringe’ outfits that are in accord with the respective ruling party’s ideology are increasingly running amok without fear of government action. This is increasingly visible in BJP ruled states despite the claim by the party that it is an upholder of the law in every way. Take, for instance, the attack by Kanwariyas on a car and its passengers, which included burqa clad women, and children, because it allegedly brushed against one of their kanwars. How is it that they feel emboldened to take the law into their own hands in such a way unless they believe they have the backing of the political set-up? This goes against the claims of both the UP and Uttarakhand governments’ claims that they are proactive in enforcing the rule of law in the most impartial manner.
Similarly, even though the attacks on Hindi speakers in Maharashtra have been carried out by the followers of opposition leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, they belong to the same political legacy as the ruling alliance. Considering that Hindutva is the motivating ideology, where in the concept of Dharma is attacking unarmed and outnumbered men and women considered justifiable? It is true that Kanwariyas, being devotees of Shiva, would be mischievous and somewhat unruly, but how is any kind of violence, bullying or intimidation part of the creed?
If the BJP truly wants that the atrocities being committed in TMC-ruled West Bengal should end, it must first bring its own house in order. For this, the law-and-order system must be made effective and free of any kind of influence. The police should be trained not only to do their job effectively, but also without fear or favour. The traditional cow vigilantism has now spread to many other kinds that seek to counter ‘love jihad’, ‘land jihad’, etc. It should be made clear that no group has the right to take the law into its own hands. If those in the government don’t understand this, they obviously don’t know their job.
