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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Manufactured Martyrs

The attempt by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to turn activist Sonam Wangchuk into the next Anna Hazare has exposed how manufactured symbolism cannot compensate for the absence of genuine public outrage. What began as a grievance over the NEET paper leak, one of India’s gravest examination scandals in recent times, has drifted into an exercise in political pageantry, where the cause has been eclipsed by its chosen mascots. Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike was plainly meant to recreate a...

Manufactured Martyrs

The attempt by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) to turn activist Sonam Wangchuk into the next Anna Hazare has exposed how manufactured symbolism cannot compensate for the absence of genuine public outrage. What began as a grievance over the NEET paper leak, one of India’s gravest examination scandals in recent times, has drifted into an exercise in political pageantry, where the cause has been eclipsed by its chosen mascots. Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike was plainly meant to recreate a familiar script where an allegedly unassuming public figure embraces personal sacrifice and a reluctant government buckles under mounting moral pressure. But history does not repeat itself on command. Anna Hazare’s fast in 2011 succeeded not because fasting possesses mystical political powers, but because it rode a tidal wave of public anger against corruption. Millions identified with the cause. That equation is conspicuously absent today. The platform that ought to have belonged to students who suffered from the NEET paper leak, or to parents whose children bore its consequences, instead became crowded with the usual constellation of professional activists, ideological campaigners and political fellow travellers. The faces dominating the stage were not those most directly affected by the scandal. A movement demanding educational accountability gradually came to look like another gathering of Delhi’s permanently aggrieved activist class. Even Wangchuk appeared to sense the contradiction. During the protest he reportedly lamented that while he was observing an indefinite fast, many around him were happily eating meals, urging at least a token one-day fast in solidarity. Successful protest movements depend upon authenticity. Once the public begins suspecting that an individual is being deployed less as a leader than as a moral accessory for someone else’s ideological project, sympathy quickly evaporates. Nor does Wangchuk arrive without controversy. Questions have been raised over the cancellation of the FCRA licence of SECMOL, the educational organisation associated with him, and over allegations regarding subsequent foreign funding arrangements. Critics have also challenged aspects of the carefully cultivated public mythology surrounding his achievements, from the origins of the ice-stupa concept to the popular belief that he inspired the protagonist of 3 Idiots. These matters deserve scrutiny on their own merits rather than hagiography or character assassination. The greater failure here surely belongs to the protest’s organisers. The CJP has mistaken optics for momentum and symbolism for public sentiment. Instead of allowing the victims of the NEET scandal to speak for themselves, they attempted to manufacture another national conscience by placing a familiar face at the centre of the stage. Political legitimacy cannot be outsourced to celebrity. Nor can mass movements be assembled from social-media influencers and habitual protesters. Anna Hazare became powerful because the public chose him. Attempts to manufacture his successor merely underline how rare such moments really are.

Tamil Nadu Governor’s Withholding of Bills “Illegal and Arbitrary”: Supreme Court



In a significant victory for the MK Stalin-led Tamil Nadu government, the Supreme Court has ruled that Governor RN Ravi's decision to withhold assent to 10 crucial Bills was "illegal" and "arbitrary". The court emphasized that once assent is withheld, the Governor cannot then reserve those Bills for the President.


"The action of the Governor to reserve the 10 bills for the President is illegal and arbitrary. Thus, the action is set aside. All actions taken by the Governor thereto for the 10 bills are set aside. These Bills shall be deemed to be cleared from the date it was re-presented to the Governor," said the bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan. The court further noted that Governor Ravi had not acted in "good faith".


According to the bench, the Governor should have approved the Bills after they were passed again by the Assembly and re-submitted to him.


Article 200 of the Constitution outlines the Governor's options when a Bill passed by the state legislature is presented to him. The Governor can either give assent, withhold it, or reserve the Bill for the President's consideration. He may also return the Bill to the House for reconsideration of certain provisions. However, if the House passes it again, the Governor is bound to give his assent. A Governor can only reserve a Bill if he or she believes it contradicts the Constitution, the directive principles of state policy, or if it raises issues of national importance.


The court also introduced specific timelines for these decisions. It stated that any delay beyond these timeframes could be subjected to judicial review. Governors will now have a month to either give or withhold assent and to reserve the Bill for the President—with the advice of the Council of Ministers.


If the reservation is done without ministerial advice, the deadline is extended to three months. For Bills re-submitted after being passed again by the Assembly, the Governor must act within a month. The court affirmed that any use of power under Article 200 is subject to judicial scrutiny.


Clarifying its stance, the court stated it is "in no way undermining the Governor's powers". It added, "All actions of the Governor must align with the principle of parliamentary democracy."


RN Ravi, a former IPS officer and one-time official with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), assumed the post of Tamil Nadu Governor in 2021. Since then, his relationship with the MK Stalin-led government has remained strained. The DMK has accused him of behaving like a spokesperson for the BJP and obstructing legislative matters and appointments. Ravi, however, maintains that the Constitution allows him to withhold assent to Bills.


Tensions between the state government and Raj Bhavan have surfaced on multiple occasions, including during the Governor’s customary address to the Assembly. Last year, Governor Ravi walked out in protest because the National Anthem was not sung at the beginning of the address. Traditionally, the Tamil Thai Valthu is sung when the House convenes and the National Anthem at the end. Ravi objected, insisting that the national anthem should be played both at the beginning and end.


In 2023, he declined to deliver the customary address to the Assembly, claiming the draft contained "numerous passages with misleading claims far from truth". A year prior, he had refused to read sections of the speech that included mentions of BR Ambedkar, Periyar, CN Annadurai, the term 'Dravidian Model', and references to law and order in the state.

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