Bridge Broke In Gujarat: Grief Cannot Be Covered With Color: 141 dead, many injured. Some wounded people who have returned from the face of death are admitted to the government hospital in Morbi. The Prime Minister will visit them. But the hospital authorities are busy renovating the joratappi by painting the walls. It was more necessary to pay attention to the fact that there is no carelessness in the treatment! This situation is not the identity of the ruler’s bankrupt mentality.
SA video that went viral recently aptly shows the woeful form of governance in India. Workers repair the dilapidated Civic Hospital in Morbi in Hurumtal ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Gujarat – a picture that gives a glimpse of a dystopian and multifaceted reality. It is said that some citizens who somehow survived after the collapse of the bridge in Machu river are admitted to this hospital.
The small town of Morbi. And there, the newly constructed bridge collapsed due to the negligence of the authorities. And so many people lost their lives – what happened? The city is also trying to recover from that tragedy. But unfortunately, because the Prime Minister will come to see the injured people, there is no additional activity for the care of those people. It turned out that the government hospital authorities have stuck to the Joratappi renovation to cover the distressing form! The idea that a single colored poncho is enough to hide the grief of the untimely deaths of 141 people and the injuries of countless others is appalling. But, don’t forget, it’s election season in Gujarat. And with the much-discussed ‘Gujarat model’, the ‘glamour’ or glitter of the government hospitals and the inefficient local administration should be covered! And we also live in a bobblehead, glossy world, where there is nothing true about the ‘perfect’ picture.
Consider the recent gathering of Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s religious gathering or ‘Satsang’. The presence of MLAs, Ministers, and VVIPs in the gathering of this spiritual head of the ‘Dera Sacha Sauda’ community – is an absolute Chandmari affair. To mention, this Dera-head is convicted of rape and murder. He has been released on parole for 40 days. It is also worth noting that the release happened just before the by-elections in Haryana and the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh. The matter is not coincidental, but rather well-connected. Because, in these two states, the Dera community is quite large, namely Ramrama. In a video, it was seen that a BJP minister of Himachal is seeking a ‘blessing’ from Doshi Godman! This is a game of character purification to make the accused rapist-murderer innocent in the eyes of the public!
Let’s recall another recent video. After the life sentences of 11 convicts convicted of raping Bilkis Bano and killing her family members in 2002 were commuted, the ‘Vishwa Hindu Parishad’ of Gujarat greeted them with garlands. That video went viral. The Gujarat government’s affidavit in the Supreme Court later revealed that the premature release of the convicts was opposed by the CBI and the special court in Mumbai, which conducted the trial. Here too, the political imperative cannot be ignored: the quest for the ‘Hindu vote’ seems to overshadow everything else in Gujarat during election season.
In the fourth video, I will talk about, this message is even clearer. A BJP MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Verma, is exhorting the crowd to economically boycott a particular ‘community’ and give them ‘proper education. Despite not explicitly mentioning ‘Muslims’, there is enough context in his inflammatory speech that it is not difficult to understand who he is identifying as ‘the enemy. Such irresponsible hate speech is blatantly aimed at securing vote banks: Delhi is also going to witness a general election battle at such a time.
Collectively these videos point to a deep moral and political crisis, enough to destroy our democratic structure. First, the lack of accountability of the authorities is evident. An iconic colonial-era bridge has reopened for public use after renovations, and Morbi government officials were unaware of it – what’s the use of such a blatant lie? There is a clear lack of police security on that bridge. How can they ignore and blame only overcrowding on the bridge for the accident? This is extreme neglect of duty!
Similarly, how can the Haryana government claim that it is not aware of the heinous crime of the parole of the Dera chief? Or how is it acceptable that the Ministry of Home Affairs remained silent on the release of the Bilquis accused? However, who can be blamed, this release happened on the green signal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The same is the case with Parvesh Verma. According to exclusive sources, the BJP leadership was not happy with the MP’s public remarks, but despite this, there was no public reprimand against Verma. Even Delhi Police did not take any action.
Second, this metaphor indicates the moral decay of the state apparatus, and simultaneously the multi-level administrative crisis. Administrative officials are notorious for their slow pace and corruption! A bridge was opened after the renovation, and the failure of the Morbi administration by not follow the general safety rules to assess its condition proves the above statement to be true. The fact that the accused and criminal Dera chief was allowed to call for public gatherings shows how much law and order has fallen in the country. There is no sign of justice by law. The Bilkis Bano case, with the life sentences of convicted murderers and rapists expiring, proved how partisan politics can bend the law. The lack of action against Parvesh Verma’s recent hate speech in Delhi shows how much the police administration has become ‘Thuto Jagannath’. Student leader Umar Khalid does not get bail after two years of continuous imprisonment, while the ruling party MP cannot face any punishment just for the sake of his power.
Thirdly, the blatant silence of the rulers, when questioned about the lawlessness that is taking place further, proves that they are morally bankrupt. Such a disaster happened by breaking the bridge, meanwhile, the Gujarat government of ‘double engine is not able to accept responsibility for that accident. In what sense did they entrust the repair of such a century-old bridge to a private company with no experience in any civil engineering project? Where this work requires very skilled workers and planning. How does the ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka biswas’ slogan of the Modi government fit in with the hate-speech after the Bilkis Bano case or the BJP? Or is this another world? Where things like good governance, and social cohesion are totally incompatible with our current politics, and power politics is all. Their political ideals, humanity, and constitutional morality – can be sacrificed for the vote bank.
Power must be maintained at all costs – this mantra is the cause of the current state of decadence and conflict. As a result of this, the myth arises, the lack of morality in democracy can be met by any magic. Let us take Maharashtra as an example. The opposition parties of the current government have raised slogans, ‘Panas Khokhe, Jekkon Ok’! Which indicates: 50 crore rupees each were given to defectors within the Shiv Sena. However, when these opposition parties were in power, they were accused of various wrongdoings and embezzlement. Then they were given the name of ‘Wasuli Sarkar’ i.e. the government of extortion. Dismissing this allegation will not work. Because the then state government’s home minister is still in jail for extortion and money laundering. As a result, citizens now have to choose between two parties, both of which are brimming with corruption. As a result, real change has become an illusory dream.
There is no one to bring change. Recently, many were similarly crushed by the Gujarat bridge collapse. But, the way the overall political conscience is fraying, should bother us even more. When times are hard on us, won’t poetry give some relief to our souls? ‘Umid par haye duniya kayem,/ Ye waqt bura ve tol jaega,/ Roushni me phir badal jaega,/ Saam ka saath badal jaega…’ This world lives on hope. Bad times will pass one day. Everything will be light, time will also change. The change will come through his hands.
Again, many people ask me, how do I get out of the shell of despair that grips me due to being on prime-time news all the time? My medicine is old Hindi songs and famous cricket matches. You can also try it!
