Respect has to be commanded
By abhay mokashi
The observation of the Kerala High judge, Justice P V Kunhikrishnan that it is the duty of the citizens to respect the Prime Minister of India is shocking.
Sitting on the Bench of the Kerala High Court, the judge mentioned, while dismissing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph from the anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate, that it is the duty of the citizens to respect the Prime Minister of India.
A High Court judge should explain under which rule or statute is it the duty of the citizens to respect the Prime Minister of India. There is no law in the country, which states that citizens should respect the Prime Minister.
The judge threw out the petition on the grounds that it is frivolous and used the word eight times in the 32-page judgement. Peter Myliparampil is not the only one who has aversion to the presence of Narendra Modi’s photograph on the vaccination certificate, there are thousands who have raised their voice against the presence of his photograph in the vaccination certificate.
Justice Kunhikrishnan contradicts himself in his order, when on one hand he speaks about democracy and states that there could be differences with the views of the Prime Minister, but these could be raised in a democratic manner. If that is the argument of the judge, he should note that it is the democratic right of a citizen to move the court and there is nothing frivolous about it.
The judge’s statement that the message from the Prime Minister with his photograph is to boost the morale of the citizen, holds no ground. The message on the vaccination certificate from the Prime Minister is, “Medicine and strict control, together India will defeat COVID 19.” One does not see any morale boosting in this message.
Justice Kunhikrishnan has also stated that the PIL is a publicity-oriented litigation, instead of genuine litigation with a cause, but has failed to see that the posting of the Prime Minister’s photograph on the vaccination certificate is also for publicity. Why else should his photograph be posted on the certificate? No head of state or government in the world has posted her/his photograph on the vaccination certificate. On that count, the judge has stated in his order that this deserves no answer, but has added that whether photographs of the Prime Minister of a particular country are to be exhibited in its vaccination certificate is to be decided by that country.
It is sad that Justice Kunhikrishnan has referred to Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Behari Vajpayee in his judgement, asking the petitioner to look at the stand taken by these leaders. The message should be for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as much as it has been given to the petitioner. The High Court judge mentioned how Nehru used to listen to A K Gopalan of the Communist Party of India, when the party had only 16 members in the Lok Sabha. This is not all, though the party did not qualify to hold the post of Leader of the Opposition, given the low number of seats, Nehru accorded the coveted post to the party.
Modi is hardly available in the parliament to listen to the members of the opposition parties or to answer questions raised by them. He spends more time outside the parliament, campaigning for his party. He and his party did not allow a proper debate on the various controversial Bills introduce by the government. It is not just his failure to listen to fellow parliamentarians, but he holds all opposition parties and their leaders in contempt. Time and again he has tried to run down Nehru and has exhibited his hatred for the first Prime Minister of India. On the anniversary of the formation of Bangladesh, he failed to recall the role of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the defeat of Pakistan which led to the formation of Bangladesh.
It is not just the opposition parties that he hates, he cannot stand any note of dissent from citizens, that shows his disregard for democracy.
Speaking of duties, it is the duty of the Prime Minister to protect the population from disease, so there is nothing special that has been done by the Prime Minister in making the vaccine available to the people. On the contrary, his government failed to curtail the spread of COVID 19, especially the second wave of the dreaded disease, because Modi announced that India had defeated the first wave of the pandemic; the government failed to provide adequate health facilities to those affected by the Novel Corona virus and thousands died gasping for breath, like fish out of water.
Just because a person holds a position held by respectable predecessors, does not make her/him respectable. Modi cannot match the intellect, the statesmanship and several other qualities of his predecessors.
He has not uttered a word of sorrow for the death of the farmers, who were protesting on the boundaries of Delhi. When terrorists attacked a police convoy near Srinagar, Modi was busy witnessing light and sound show in Varanasi. He has failed to speak on the setting up of a village on India soil by China. By mocking at opposition leaders, he has lowered the stature of the Prime Minister’s office.
He uses religion for his political ambitions and pushes the Hindutva agenda, which denies equality for all. He had hidden the fact that he is married. Modi is a bluff master on several counts.
There are numerous issues, which prevent many in the country to respect Modi, yet the judge feels it is our duty to respect the Prime Minister. You are wrong Justice Kunhikrishnan. It is not the duty of the citizens to respect the Prime Minister; the Prime Minister has to command respect. Modi has miserably failed on that count.