The Times of India, 23 November 2009
Save Maharashtra
The perpetrators and planners of the outrageous attack on the offices of two news channels in Mumbai and Pune must be punished, and fast. Shiv Sena has already owned up to the attack and its leaders have even justified it. The government has promised action and arrested a few people, but it remains to be seen if they follow through.
The Maharashtra government needs to stand by the rule of law if it genuinely wants to end this menace of political violence. It has not shown much inclination to do that so far, despite repeated incidents of violence and rowdyism by the Sena and its off-spring, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The ineptitude of the government has surely not been lost on the two Senas, which are competing to promote a chauvinistic agenda. The Shiv Sena even targeted a national icon like Sachin Tendulkar for refusing to toe its line. There is reason to fear that the government's failure to crack down on miscreants is more by choice than chance. The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, partners in government, have denounced the violence but they have shied away from confronting the hate speech of the Senas, especially the MNS, through political and administrative action.
Such masterly inactivity could stem from the calculation that the emergence of the MNS has split the Sena's support base. The Congress and the NCP ducked anti-incumbency to win a third term in office mainly because of a divided opposition. The two parties seem to hope that the MNS will continue to check the Sena and vice versa and tilt electoral politics in their favour for ever. In our view, this approach is shortsighted and dangerous for the future of Maharashtra, as it gives a fillip to chauvinism. The cost of allowing a society to become hostage to imaginary fears of being economically and culturally swamped by 'outsiders' can be enormous. Nevertheless, it's possible that there are genuine grievances which underlie (but do not justify) the scapegoating of outsiders. The Sena and MNS have full liberty to state their point of view and try to garner support for it. But the government needs to draw the line when they threaten or mete out physical violence, or otherwise violate the law.
All political parties must come together to isolate violent elements and prevent them from hijacking the state. The primary responsibility, however, rests with the government. Rule of law is paramount in a democracy. Grievances can be raised and redressed only through legal means and on non-violent platforms. That must be non-negotiable, otherwise governance will collapse and we will join South Asia's other failed states.
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