The hurling of a shoe at the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, during the celebration of national independence, created ripples in the corridors of security and governance. Such acts have emerged as a nomenclature for a vehement assertion of prevailing disillusionment of individual and groups in the nation.
Annoyed, agonized, distressed, irritated, visibly victimized and alienated seems to the standard lexicon describing an average inhabitant of the valley. The conventional answers emanating from civil society actors, intellectuals, disenchanted politicians arrive at the usual explanation of alienation of the large section of the society, responsible for targeting the Indian state which is seen as the source for causing distress due to bad governance.
Interestingly poor governance is not a peculiar phenomena confined to any particular region rather is all pervasive afflicting the average Indian citizen. The statistics on law and order, safety of women and children, poverty and inequality clearly highlight their uninhibited prevalence across the nation, and not immune to any particular region.
The continuous splash of the images of funeral procession and stone throwers clearly portrays a land in turmoil but refuses to elaborate the issue any further. As perceptions and opinions galore from people not even remotely connected with issue, geographically and emotionally, the issue clearly boils into an image of a local protest translating into a civic unrest. While emergency meetings between the central government and various political groups have taken place to resolve the crisis, what is surprising is the fixation to deem the disturbances as an independence movement questioning India’s sovereignty.
The move by the central government to resume dialogue with Kashmiri leaders, including pro-Pakistan clearly projected an image of an embattled state apparatus with the separatist leaders taking potshots at this initiative. Such selective choice clearly generates potential fears of mob fury and violence gaining legitimacy with political groups encouraging the protesters in order to maximize their interests.
It must be noted that much of the televised debates acknowledge that the proposal for autonomy is not only obsolete but also fraught with several limitations. The Indian constitution clearly envisages resolution and safeguards concerning implementation of fundamental rights and autonomy to various regions, taking cognizance of their distinct identities. Such lopsided approach towards the crisis has the potential to trigger similar protests in regions affected by high handedness of law enforcement agencies.
Hence it is rather preposterous to start the political expedition on the beaten path when the common masses of India are confronted with acute price rise, unemployment and threats from terror outfits of various denominations.
The shoe pelting came as a political misnomer when the nation was bracing up to commemorate its sixty fourth year of independence and assert its image as a vibrant and responsible democracy. Similarly the recent incident of killing of farmers, protesting against land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh clearly highlights the present challenges to the state in addressing the aspirations of the common masses. Hence perceiving the issue as a threat confronting governance and security based on a lopsided understanding of the crisis.
Annoyed, agonized, distressed, irritated, visibly victimized and alienated seems to the standard lexicon describing an average inhabitant of the valley. The conventional answers emanating from civil society actors, intellectuals, disenchanted politicians arrive at the usual explanation of alienation of the large section of the society, responsible for targeting the Indian state which is seen as the source for causing distress due to bad governance.
Interestingly poor governance is not a peculiar phenomena confined to any particular region rather is all pervasive afflicting the average Indian citizen. The statistics on law and order, safety of women and children, poverty and inequality clearly highlight their uninhibited prevalence across the nation, and not immune to any particular region.
The continuous splash of the images of funeral procession and stone throwers clearly portrays a land in turmoil but refuses to elaborate the issue any further. As perceptions and opinions galore from people not even remotely connected with issue, geographically and emotionally, the issue clearly boils into an image of a local protest translating into a civic unrest. While emergency meetings between the central government and various political groups have taken place to resolve the crisis, what is surprising is the fixation to deem the disturbances as an independence movement questioning India’s sovereignty.
The move by the central government to resume dialogue with Kashmiri leaders, including pro-Pakistan clearly projected an image of an embattled state apparatus with the separatist leaders taking potshots at this initiative. Such selective choice clearly generates potential fears of mob fury and violence gaining legitimacy with political groups encouraging the protesters in order to maximize their interests.
It must be noted that much of the televised debates acknowledge that the proposal for autonomy is not only obsolete but also fraught with several limitations. The Indian constitution clearly envisages resolution and safeguards concerning implementation of fundamental rights and autonomy to various regions, taking cognizance of their distinct identities. Such lopsided approach towards the crisis has the potential to trigger similar protests in regions affected by high handedness of law enforcement agencies.
Hence it is rather preposterous to start the political expedition on the beaten path when the common masses of India are confronted with acute price rise, unemployment and threats from terror outfits of various denominations.
The shoe pelting came as a political misnomer when the nation was bracing up to commemorate its sixty fourth year of independence and assert its image as a vibrant and responsible democracy. Similarly the recent incident of killing of farmers, protesting against land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh clearly highlights the present challenges to the state in addressing the aspirations of the common masses. Hence perceiving the issue as a threat confronting governance and security based on a lopsided understanding of the crisis.
