History & Adamancy

For the last few weeks 1984 has effectively caught the headlines in the Indian media, after what obviously turned out to be a preposterous decision in relation with the tragedy of Bhopal a Pandora’s Box of troubling unanswered question has been opened in public domain. Beginning with the simplistic demand of proper compensation and clearing the gas leak site of the toxin, the debate has grown into the Anderson escape saga and continues to get bigger with a former Supreme Court judge already coming under the fire of continuing shocking revelation. The 1984 disaster took place amidst a general election in the country and just months after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. It was the year that could well be described as the stand out disaster year in the history of independent India and probably this is the reason that the government was let off even though the handling of the entire case was far worse than what the word shabby describes. Now today when the nation looks back and asks questions, the political party that ruled the center and the state then, not only denies to detail on the issue but also does not fall short of suggesting that such questions are blasphemy as the person who ruled the nation than died a martyrs death a few years later, because his mother had died for the cause of nation a few months back and in the undertones because he was a Gandhi.



The Indian democracy has evolved and matured steadily is no one’s doubting. As a nation and a participatory democracy the involvement of the citizens in making the government take decision has grown considerably since the last two decades. But regrettably our politicians are still too touchy about history and there historic icons. The recent paranoiac responses from the leaders of the Congress party which include putting the blame of the weak charge sheet upon the judiciary, calling a senior secretary of the Rajiv Gandhi government traitor and claiming he has changed his political loyalty however laughable are a serious outcome of their unwillingness to revisit the past and decide the culpability. The reasons are obvious what if the onus of the damage comes on a government headed by the icon. From Rajneeti to the Red Sari there has been a repeated portrayal of the fear of downsizing the Gandhi’s from a position of assumed divinity. The grimmer concern is the way in which very often this political party tries to defend a proven wrong just because the wrong was committed by an idol. The voracity with which the congress defends the emergency is one thing but the absence of an iota of regret on how every constitutional institution was undermined is offensive.


The problem that exists with our politics is that decades down the happening our politicians do not have the grace enough to accept that “we floundered”. The apology or even an agreement of guilt for decades old mishap would not lose you your vote bank. Imagine how comforting it would have been for the Bhopal victims had the PM come out and said that, there were slipups and though we cannot undo all of them but the state shall support the victims in every manner possible. But that never happened. Instead when it was asked, what the government shall do? They retorted asking what BJP was doing for their 6-7 years at helm. Then as the anger grew the government finally decided on setting up a GOM.


There has to be a method of revisiting the past and learning from the mistakes. The people who are responsible for charting plans and roads for the nation cannot be adamant on the blunders of past, a party line cannot be decades and centuries long, the realization and acceptance of right and wrong in the life of a nation is essential. Such questions cannot be political in any sensible nation, the death of thousands and the facts surrounding them cannot be allowed to turn into a mockery of a mindless debate. The political parties especially congress desperately need to get there historical perspective right.

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