SC/ST Act debate: Vote bank first, Judiciary can wait

Then congress, Now BJP bows down to voter base

Vote bank politics has been an integral part of Indian democracy for years. Since Independence, political  parties take decisions to please a section of voters for electoral potency. This could be understood in a democratic nation like India, where citizens belong to a different caste, creed and religion. 

However, the government doesn’t shy away to dump judiciary in an attempt to please the voter base and keep the throne intact. Once Rajiv Gandhi led congress government reversed  the Shah Bano verdict of the supreme court by passing a legislation with full majority to make sure Mulism voters are not miffed. Now an analogous attempt has been made by Modi Sarkar to ensure Dalits votes press lotus in 2019 election, even if they need to overturn the SC’s verdict.

The apex court in one of its verdict made an amendment in the SC/ST act.The three changes which irked the SC/ST community was – no initial FIR till an investigation of DSP level officer, No initial arrest of the accused and a provision of anticipatory bail. Few peoples of community were so fumed with this that it triggered a “Bharat Bandh” on April 2nd, which turned violent in major cities especially in North and central India. 

The band claimed nine lives and crores of public property were gutted in fire,curfew was imposed in the cities. It was basically a showdown,Look,we can do this if the apex court doesn’t change its stance. A fear mongering warning to the government as well which proved successful. As the government has finally decided to push a bill which will restore the SC/ST act and amendments of apex court will be null and void. 

“Good thing comes to those who wait”, is an idiom which should be changed to “Good thing comes to those who are violent”. It took one violent agitation for a section of peoples to bow down a government with absolute majority. Amid all the drama a no nonsense citizen like me is amused.There is nothing called a “final decision” of the judiciary, anything can be overturned with political interference, wow. 

(The opinion of the writer is his personal)