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Ominous slight

It is difficult to determine which is more sinister ~ the brazen insulting of the apex court’s ban on sale…

Ominous slight

Representational image (Photo : Getty Images)

It is difficult to determine which is more sinister ~ the brazen insulting of the apex court’s ban on sale of firecrackers in the NCR which is being projected as anti-Hindu by the conveniently-tagged “fringe elements”, or the sustained silence of the established leadership of the saffron-brigade and its failure to curb what is just a step short of contempt of court.

True that there was only a small number of people shouting Jai Shri Ram and bursting crackers outside the premises of the Supreme Court on Tuesday evening, yet that appears part of a chain of events: another link was exhibited the same day by a local leader of the BJP distributing crackers to children, taking the technical alibi that the court had not prohibited the use of fireworks, only their sale.

Only days previous the court had expressed “pain” at a religious twist being given to its environment-protecting order, obviously it has had little impact on the religious fanatics who have even had the gumption to ask if a ban on diyas was next on the cards: among other critical observations it must be noted.

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That the “action” near the court took place on the very day that deteriorating air-quality triggered initial regulatory measures ~ such as a ban on diesel gen-sets, shutting down the thermal power station at Badarpur, restrictions on brick kilns and stone-crushing units ~ suggests that these fringe elements accord little or no importance to preserving the quality of the air residents of the NCR are condemned to live with.

What is deeply disturbing about the silence of the leadership is that it falls into an ominous pattern: the lesser-lights are encouraged to take seemingly-rash action to “test the waters” ~ if the public reaction is negative the leadership then creates an impression of having remained aloof.

And if the reaction is extremely severe, token attempts are made to remedy the situation, as is evident after the furore over the debunking of the Taj Mahal, the lynching-spree of Gau Rakshaks, the “advice” to beef-eaters to go to Pakistan etc.

The religious twist given to the ban on the sale of firecrackers could even be the first move toward polarising the electorate in Himachal and Gujarat. A mature and responsible leadership would have made a distinction between a political assault and an open religion-linked attack on the Supreme Court. The calculated silence of senior ministers and the party leadership points to their sending a signal to the court to refrain from stepping on Hindutva toes.

How their Lordships will counter such a despicable challenge remains to be seen. Meanwhile, events over the next few evenings will determine the extent to which a loophole-ridden judicial order succeeds in averting a re-run of the suffocation to which the NCR was subjected last Diwali.

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