The leader of the world’s largest democracy needs to find words when people are emotionally hurt and angry, but in this case he was found wanting
Communicating with the people was never Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s strong point. Even so, complete silence from him for a week after New Delhi’s horrific gangrape incident was not something his harshest critics would have bargained for.
When the gentle Dr Singh did venture to make himself heard on the sorry episode — which has hit us as both tragedy and shame, and brought home to us the utter disregard of laws induced by indifference to duty by keepers of the law — he appeared breathtakingly off key.
The leader of the world’s largest democracy needs to find words when people are emotionally hurt and angry, but in this case he was found wanting. One only has to consider the contrasting response from the heart — and promise of decisive action — of US President Barack Obama to the recent Connecticut shooting of schoolchildren to be suitably edified. Wake up, Mr Prime Minister, life isn’t always only about the rate of growth or shining at multilateral summits with articulate, well-honed interventions.
In the backdrop of the massive and persistent emotional protests by thousands of young women and men in the wake of the brutal sexual assault that has halted the nation in its tracks, and shaken the seat of power, the well-meaning gesture by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi of meeting some protesters can hardly be the balm the country is seeking, although they did come down from their high pedestal. India’s home minister, in contrast, remained the picture of insensitive calm. Sushilkumar Shinde appeared more concerned about what visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin might think if the mass protests didn’t stop. He also wondered aloud how North Block (seat of the home ministry) could come down to meet the people!
It is the cumulative failure of the state and the ruling party in grasping the mood of a hurt and traumatised nation that made for a field day for lumpens on Sunday who attacked the police in order to force it go into overdrive — even against peaceful protesters and the media. And let’s remember one thing. Rape is burning not just Delhi; Manipur too is on fire. We do need deliberations on changes in the law to deal with rapists. But we first need an authoritative governmental voice empathising with a hurt India and warning of immediate action against wrongdoers.
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