RUPNAGAR: Senior journalist and consulting editor of India Today group Rajdeep Sardesai today said that the democracy in the country was at risk during these days due to weak Opposition.
Sardesai, who was keynote speaker at a seminar organized by District Press Clubs Association, Rupnagar, here today said while government in centre as well many states were leaving no stone unturned to damage the democratic set-up other pillars of democracy including media and even judiciary also failed to do what was expected from them during such times.
He said that people were being tried for sedition or anti national activities after they criticize government’s policies as if the government and nation was the same thing. He pointed out that dictatorial attitude of rulers is leading India to age of uncertainty.
Expressing his concerns over it, he, however, showing optimism said that this was not the first time when the country witnessed such situation. Since Independence the country has gone through such circumstances several times and the masses have always shown the door to people responsible for it, he said.
Parliamentary values were being diluted. The Covid 19 and economy are major challenges being faced by the country but nobody has the time to discuss these issues in parliament and the bills were being passed without debate. During last five years only 11 per cent bills had passed through proper scrutiny. “It seems the parliament has been turned into cabinet meeting where the government will only put its point of view and others would not be allowed to speak, ” he said.
Judiciary is too selective
Judiciary has tried to rise to the occasion some times. Still it had been selective over such issues. It didn’t show any concern during last two years over haebus corpus petitions filed after Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019 said Sardesai adding that the same judiciary was in extra-ordinary hurry to constitute a vacation bench when a journalist being favoured by today’s rulers was arrested by a state government. The judiciary also failed to notice that lakhs of poor people had to migrate during Covid 19, he said.
The second pillar of government has been behaving like a TV show ‘Big Boss’ where everything is being controlled by ‘Big Boss’. The executives were only informed about the decision of ‘Big Boss’ and they were not allowed to discuss the important issues before implementation, said Sardesai.
Judiciary has tried to rise to the occasion some times. Still it had been selective over such issues. It didn’t show any concern during last two years over haebus corpus petitions filed after Article 370 was scrapped in August 2019 said Sardesai adding that the same judiciary was in extra-ordinary hurry to constitute a vacation bench when a journalist being favoured by today’s rulers was arrested by a state government. The judiciary also failed to notice that lakhs of poor people had to migrate during Covid 19, he said.
Media, the fourth pillar of democracy has also been divided. Some have crossed all limits while flattering the rulers while those dare to criticize government were being portrayed as anti national, he said. Earlier the governments tried to muzzle the media. The then prime minister Indira Gandhi even imposed Emergency in 1975 to rein in media, but now many TV news channers and news papers have imposed self censorship to please politicians, he added.
Anandpur Sahib Member Parliament Manish Tiwari was chief guest on the occasion.
District Press Clubs Association. Rupnagar president Bahadurjeet Singh welcomed the guests and inform about the activities of association in the region.