look news india
These days new and unique methods of protests are being seen in the country’s politics, which often give rise to major political and moral controversies. A very shocking and sensational news has come out from Palakkad district of the South Indian state of Kerala. Here, Congress party workers staged a protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, which has created a stir in the political circles. Congress workers not only performed the last rites of the Chief Election Commissioner by taking out his symbolic bier, but also expressed their strong anger by flushing the burnt ‘ashes’ into the public toilet. Since this strange and aggressive protest, a new debate has erupted across the country whether the use of such methods against prominent officials holding constitutional positions comes within the ambit of democratic decorum.
Unique march taken out by Block Congress Committee in Palakkad
This entire matter is from Palakkad city of Kerala, where workers under the banner of Block Congress Committee took to the streets and demonstrated strongly against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The protest started from the District Congress Committee (DCC) office, where the workers proceeded with banners-posters and a symbolic bier in their hands, shouting slogans. The march passed through busy areas of the city and reached near the stadium bus stand.
Reaching near the bus stand, the workers took the protest a step further. There they offered garlands and flowers to a large picture of the Chief Election Commissioner and performed all the rituals associated with the last rites as per Hindu customs. After this, the symbolic pyre of the Chief Election Commissioner was publicly set on fire. During this, the workers raised slogans against the functioning of the Election Commission and expressed their displeasure.
Political and moral controversy increased due to flushing ashes in toilet
That part of this protest became the most controversial and discussed topic, when the events after the burning of the pyre came to light. The protesting activists collected the remaining ashes from the pyre in a very symbolic and humiliating manner and took it to a nearby public toilet and flushed it away. Such a demonstration against a person holding a high constitutional post like the Chief Election Commissioner and the act of flushing ashes into the toilet has given rise to sharp reactions in political circles.
As soon as this incident came to light, opposition parties and political analysts started strongly condemning this aggressive attitude of the Congress Party. Critics say that it is a democratic right to protest, but resorting to such indecent and insulting acts against the head of a constitutional institution is completely contrary to the democratic dignity of the country.
Serious questions are being raised on the double standards of Congress Party.
After this protest, discussions have also intensified regarding the alleged double attitude and double standards of the Congress Party in Kerala politics. Political experts and opposition parties say that some time ago, the Left Students Organization (SFI) had demonstrated a similar symbolic funeral against the Principal of the prestigious ‘Government Victoria College’ in the same Palakkad district.
At that time, senior leaders and spokespersons of the Congress Party had strongly criticized that action of SFI and termed it unparliamentary and indecent. Now the question being raised is that when the leftists did this, it was wrong, but when the Congress workers themselves adopted the same method with the Chief Election Commissioner of the country, then how did it become right? Due to this contradiction, the Congress Party has now come under sharp questions from the opposition parties as well as the general public.
This incident has once again forced one to think whether the limits of expressing protest are gradually disappearing in the political culture of India, where the dignity of constitutional posts is being sidelined.