The cynical centre is being dismissive of people’s rights and opinions. It has taken upon itself the task of suppressing and muzzling voices. It tries to manage figures and facts with ideological might and hype. Prominent electronic and print media outlets are being raided for toeing the line.
Bharat Samachar and Dainik Bhaskar were two of the most recent targets owing to their reports on the government’s mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They dared to question authority of a hard-pressed regime indifferent to criticism and debate. One needs to be watchful as one’s thinking can land one up in trouble. Activists, intellectuals and civil society members, have all paid the price for their innocent bravado.
From Anand Teltumbde to Rona Wilson, many are languishing in prisons for lending their voice to the the oppressed. What do we make of our citizenry being assigned a malicious motive every time we rise up boldly and fiercely to speak up?
When will this debilitating humiliation and embarrassment end for us? Whom do we look at, to stop the erosion of our liberties and duties? Repressing and reprimanding your people does nothing to better a faltering and flailing state’s future.