The Hindu Business Line : Safety valves of hard-pressed society

The people of India have been afforded a peep into the kind of high-handed behaviour of VVIPs by two recent incidents that have been flashed repeatedly all over the print and electronic media. Both involved Members of Parliament.

The first was the Union Muslim League MP in the Rajya Sabha, Mr P. V. Abdul Wahab, who, having reportedly delayed the departure of an Air India flight, was offloaded from the plane by the Air India pilot, Captain Rajat Rana, who boldly enforced the rules despite being called names for his pains.

The second was the case of the CPI(M) MP, Mr Lakshman Seth, who adopted bullying tactics towards a Deputy Inspector General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Mr Alok Raj, on patrolling duty at Nandigram in West Bengal, during the elections to the panchayats there, but was told by the police officer in blunt terms to mind his business. In the second instance, Mr Raj was quick-witted enough to turn on the loudspeaker of his mobile phone so that the media and members of the public had a ring-side seat when the whole drama was played out to their hearing.

In both cases, the spontaneous reaction of the people was that the treatment meted out to the MPs by the spirited officials putting them in their place was well deserved and did not come a day too soon. The newspapers and TV channels were, in fact, flooded with profuse expressions of appreciation and admiration for the pilot and the policeman who stood up to the flaunting of self-importance by those who were supposed to set an example in observing decency and decorum, and in conducting themselves with a sense of responsibility

Fresh, cooling breeze

There are sporadic signals being sent by the people all over the country to the governing and political classes, and to those occupying positions of service-providers, to the effect that they are not prepared to take lying down any arrogance or insouciance on anybody’s part any more.

In their desperation at the inaction of those whose duty it is to redress their grievances and complaints, the people take law into their own hands such as when they block traffic, besiege and attack offices, or indulge in the horrible lynching of suspects in the commission of crimes.

In this situation, a Rajat Rana or Alok Raj who refuse to swerve from the path of duty comes like a fresh, cooling breeze. They serve as the safety valves for pressures built up within the society because of the oppressions of the high and mighty. They also help generate the comforting feeling that there is still hope for democracy — not the phony one confined to outward trappings and empty rituals, but one in which “We, the People” have the whip-hand, as envisaged by the Constitution-makers, over public servants from top to bottom in the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

For achieving this objective, it is necessary for such examples to multiply and encompass the entire system, instead of being few and far between. Indeed, everyone in administration, from the Cabinet Secretary/Chief Secretary downwards, should from now on vow to emulate the pilot and the police official and show the same courage and determination to uphold what is right and proper, without regard to the rank and station of persons who try to pressure them to do otherwise.

That is the minimum expected of them by the people for all the salaries, perks and privileges they enjoy at the taxpayers’ expense. Meanwhile, one only hopes that the superior echelons in the Air India and the CRPF would guard against the victimisation of Messrs. Rana and Raj, even if they cannot bring themselves to honour them with commendatory awards.

B. S. RAGHAVAN