[Reader-list] Shameful Torture of 23 Muslims Prisoners on March 26-27 In Sabarmati Jail, Ahamedabad: A Report by Human Rights Activists

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Inder jee

The question you have raised is that democratic states can also resort to
war. My contention is that this is due to lack of democracy actually. If
there really was democracy, before going to war, the govt. would have
conducted the referendum to find out whether people wanted the war to take
place or not. Of course, we could have debated the moral consequences of
what the people chose and what they didn't, but it would certainly ensure
that democracy prevails in taking decisions.

But govts. the world over don't want to give this right to people as for
them, their contract agreement goes under threat. In many nations across the
world, elections are a kind of contract given by people to let someone rule
for a period of 5 years, during which the person given the contract feels
he/she can take any decision as they please. And this is what has ruined
democracy.

Therefore, it's not democracy, but the lack of it, which ensures such
situations.

As for the BJP, I really pity them. So also the right wing people. They
constantly have a tendency to prove that they are masculine or Hindu
religion(and Hindus) must be masculine, so also for authoritarians. Probably
they have some complex regarding that they are not masculine enough. They
have my sympathies for being pessimistic about themselves.

And what's more, they have an attitude of dismissiveness and arrogance as
well (at least their major leaders show these tendencies). Forget ideology,
they probably would have this tendency in public life as well even on
personal relations. I don't know they can actually create a stronger state,
which is their professed goal (not exactly mine). After all, as I have said
earlier, unity is strength.

Hence, even on the goal of making India a superpower, the RSS led parivar is
going to lead to the opposite of their own professed goal.

Regards

Rakesh