“People Who Are Crazy Enough To Think They Can Change The World, Are The Ones Who Do,” Rob Siltanen

India’s Supreme Court was crystal clear in reprimanding the Narendra Modi led government with its judgement declaring Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa’s action as illegal and unconstitutional. Months back it was Uttaranchal and now Arunachal Pradesh. The judgment not only comes as a respite but also as a morale booster for all those who began to feel that India is witnessing a new kind of politics where the office of the Governor was being reduced to that of a stooge. The memories off 1970s were brought back when Article 356 was used 21 times in a time span of just five years by the Congress Party and the Janata Party to dismiss legitimately elected governments.
Whenever state governments have been dismissed, it has led to bitterness and an element of arrogance has been shown by the Central government and the same was witnessed this time too. Since the installation of Narendra Modi’s government, India has been witnessing a new kind off “combative politics” between the Centre and the State especially with non BJP ruled state. Party spokespersons taking on each other and stooping low at television debates is the other element of this new kind of politics. Many right thinking intellectuals have rightly criticized this kind of politics.
Attempts by Prime Minister Narendra Modi forcreating “AnIndia without Congress”has taken a new turn with all possible means being adopted even if it means a backdrop entry into states. Receiving flak not once but twice and that too from the Apex court does paramount to embarrassment. The verdicts when analyzed together represent something more intense. Governments are formed after a hard won political battle in which the voters adopt the method of casting their ballot. The institution of democracy has been made strong by all those who take the pain of exercising the right to vote and thus cementing the democratic values and beliefs. However, Modi government has been getting regressive and using all tricks to stall projects of state governments-specially with Delhi and Bengal; and dislodge governments as in Uttrakhand and Arunachal Pradesh and thus has exposed itself as one government that doesn’t regard the basis of the constitution.
The apex court’s verdicts rejecting the use of Article 356 in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh are reminders that there is absolutely no alternative tofirmly adhering to the constitutionally laid down procedures. For all we know, that the re-installed Congress leader NabamTuki was able to win back 21 out of 30 rebels and make way for the new leader Pema Khandu, does show that there was some discontentment in the Congress and the same was put to good use of by Bhartiya Janta Party making the Governor a party to such political decision. Knowing all that happens in Indian politics, the tradition of horse trading was deployed.
Surprisingly the Governor too was made to act on the behalf of the party. The matter could have been legitimately settled within the assembly through a floor test. The governor called for a meeting in a banquet hall where this expressly biased governor dismissed the chief minister and the speaker. The Supreme Court of India made scathing observations against the governor for showing undue interest in the politics. The governor under no circumstances is authorized to “organize” an assembly session, certainly not outside the assembly. Within the assembly when he was simply expected to be neutral observer and allow such disputes to be resolved in the appropriate constitutional forums. 14 Members of the assembly from the Congress Party who were dismissed by the speaker had already moved the High Court. The Supreme Court also severely indicted the governor for advancing the legislative assembly session from January 14, 2016 to December 16, 2015.
Parliament has been reconvened and the opposition parties have come out all guns blazing and Modi government finds itself cornered at a time when it was trying to garner all possible support for getting various bills passed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about co-operative federalism, has been doing acts contrary to that. The judiciary has stepped to induce some system and some sense into the leaders. Elected government is expected to respect the mandate of the voters and now circumvent the same to gain an easy entry to the seat of power. Perhaps two such attempts would be enough for Narendra Modi and he would let his vision of “India without Congress” take a rest for some time.