Shiv Sena shows its colours
By abhay mokashi
Shiv Sena was at its old nature once again, with some of its leaders and members indulging in violence during the one-day state bandh called by the ruling Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The bandh call was given to protest the death of eight farmers, when they were mowed by cars driven allegedly by members and leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The MVA has a right to protest against the incident and the way the farmers, as well as to support the farmers, who have been protesting on the outskirts of Delhi, in support of their demand for withdrawal of the agricultural laws, brought in by the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled government at the Centre. It is also the right of MVA or any other organisation to call a bandh or to indulge in protests, without harming anybody.
At the same time others have a right to differ with the stand taken by the MVA or any other organisation in support of the farmers. While the BJP has its own reasons to pass the controversial laws and to stick to its guns, a majority of BJP members and followers blindly support the party’s stand and that of BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Many of those either supporting the three laws or opposing them have neither studied nor have they even read the laws, yet have strong views on them. There is no law, forbidding a comment on any subject or taking a stand on it, without studying it. Had there been such a law, many political leaders, ministers and the current Prime Minister would have been penalised.
It is indeed tragic that some farmers lost their lives when the cars ran over them in Lakhimpur Kheri or that three others were beaten to death following the mowing of the farmers. An average human being would been moved by such an incident or on seeing the next of kin of the victims, wailing at the loss of their near and dear ones. For some it does not matter, whoever dies and under whatever circumstances. Even Narendra Modi is not affected by the death of these farmers or of nearly 600 farmers, who were protesting on the boundary of Delhi, losing their lives during their ongoing agitation. Many of the Modi followers follow him blindly. They feel if the Prime Minister does not feel sorry for the farmers or even the lakhs of migrants returned to their native places, during the lockdown announced by Modi during the first phase of the COVID 19 pandemic in the country, there is no need for them to feel so.
After coming to power, along with Congress and NCP, the Shiv Sena had shown great improvement in its behaviour, but when it came to the Maharashtra Bandh today, the party went back its basic attitude of indulging in violence, especially with those who do not agree with it.
The Shiv Sena leaders have to understand that nobody can be forced to empathise with somebody or to feel sorry for anyone; that has to come from within. So also, people should not be forced to join a bandh, whatever the legitimacy of the cause, as the sponsors of the bandh may feel.
In some places, the BJP violently opposed the bandh. It would be too much to expect the BJP and its supporters to respect the democratic rights of the others, as that is not in their genes.