IS OUR INDIA TRULY INDEPENDENT?
Today on 15th August we are observing 75 years of India’s Independence. But truly there is nothing to celebrate or cheer about. There is a lot to ponder and worry about while our nation is ebbing away from Democracy. We are far from being truly free, and we may never be, unless we are unchained from this current failing and faltering political system that is corroded.
The basic fundamentals of our Constitution are being fiddled with and even our fundamental rights are sought to be trampled on. We have a lot to reflect on what has been going wrong with the very guiding principles being flouted with impunity. On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted our Constitution which was drafted by a committee headed by Babasaheb Ambedkar who played a pivotal role in its drafting.
Perhaps the founding fathers never visualized or anticipated that Money and Muscle Power would one day rule the roost in our country’s political arena with persons lacking morals and ethics assuming Power. So now there is need of urgent amendments to our Constitution to safeguard those fundamentals while leaving no grey areas for manipulation and towards this the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary must look within.
The Election Commission, Reserve Bank and some other vital institutions whose autonomy also stands blatantly ruptured and sadly compromised is a matter of concern. The CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Authorities are functioning under political duress. With the exception of a few conscientious officials who care for the Rule of law, the bureaucracy having lost all its independence and having become very partisan and slanted, the future remains bleak. The world’s largest democracy is at crossroads while we are witnessing an undeclared state of emergency where the basic tenets of our Constitution of India lie in absolute peril. And more importantly there are attempts to even compromise the very vital Independence of the Judiciary. Let us all sincerely commit to protect and ensure that the doctrine of our Constitution is strictly adhered to in letter and spirit with no room for fudging or fraud. Only then will there be something to rejoice and celebrate on Independence Day.
Let us work dedicatedly towards unitedly and untiringly ensuring a truly Independent and democratic India. This was the hope and aspiration of our founding fathers who had painstakingly drafted the Constitution of India which is now sadly being breached with impunity.
