Code of conduct

In the struggle between the politics of hate and the will of the common man, the latter appears to have clocked a victory.

The Shah Rukh Khan starrer, My Name is Khan, which had been at the epicentre of the controversy, had a tremendous opening, with ordinary citizens thronging the theatres to watch their favourite hero in action.

Normalcy is restored, thanks to the sanity of the ordinary citizen who has clearly given a thumbs-down to the politics of hate orchestrated by the Shiv Sena. The government of Maharashtra, for once, also pulled up its socks to send a strong message to rabble-rousers that such madness won’t be tolerated.

But the matter should not end here because the entire episode points to a much bigger crisis — the breaking down of law and order. And it is a recurrent phenomenon in Mumbai and elsewhere in the country, all too often over trivial issues blown out of proportion by political posturing.

The politics of dissent is an intrinsic part of democracy. However what we get to witness in India is not mere dissent but hooliganism, a brazen display of muscle power.

Every time a party has to protest against any issue, its cadres will storm the streets, damage public and private property and hold cities and citizenry to ransom. More often than not, the government is a mute witness to such wanton acts.

If a protest turns into a barbaric display of power, it shows nothing but irresponsibility not only of the so-called motivated cadres, but also of the political establishment, which foments, instigates and orchestrates such dissent.

Why should things reach such a stage that a government will have to deploy thousands of policemen to ensure a movie is screened at theatres? Why should an officegoer or a school kid be so frightened that they cannot leave home?

Why should life have to come to a grinding halt? The courts have already taken strong positions against bandhs and such protests need the same strictures.

As representatives of a civilised society, our political leaders should wake up to their primary responsibility of ensuring a smooth public life. If all political parties cannot chalk out a code of conduct for protests and demonstrations, then they must at least learn to respect the rule of law.

It might require a strong political will and the urge to resist temptations of short-term political gains, but it is time to set that ball rolling.