Banality of calamity
Accidents keep happening, followed with media outrage and public outcry, but nothing meaningful happens to check them.
The Amritsar train mishap during the Dussehra celebrations and its aftermath have a familiar sequentiality about it: grief and anger, followed with blame game and crass politicking. It’s like watching a third-rate masala Hindi movie. After every accident and disaster, it’s the same story.
It was not a natural disaster, not “an act of God”; it was an accident waiting to happen. For about 40 years, Dussehra celebrations were held at Amritsar’s Dhobi Ghat, with thousands thronging the place to see the burning of Ravana’s effigy with fireworks. Organising such an event at the small ground with just two gates was never safe. But neither the organisers nor the authorities gave a thought to the safety aspect. Nor, it appears, was there such a thing as civil society to raise the issue with the people and the local administration.
But this is also the story of almost all public functions in India, especially in small towns and in the countryside. All of us see and know about the safety lacunae in such events; all of us ignore them. It always takes a big mishap, involving a large number of casualties, to wake us up about the dangerous manner in which an activity is carried out. Decades ago, a school bus fell into the Yamuna; after that, norms governing school buses came into being. Similarly, it was after the Uphaar tragedy in 1997 that rules were framed for fire safety in cinema halls. A few years ago, dozens of people were charred to death at a trade fair as the tent housing it did not have proper exits. And now we have Amritsar.
Three points need to be made here. First, as a people we Indians are least bothered about safety aspects. Many people don’t bat an eyelid spending millions on decorating their residences, but are extremely casual about, say, wiring. So, it didn’t just occur to the people standing on railway tracks that they could be crushed; most were busy making videos of the burning effigy and fireworks when the train came and killed them.
The organisers were equally cavalier about people standing on tracks. “Madam [former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu], look here. They [people] do not care about the railway tracks even as 500 trains pass by. Over 5,000 people are standing on the railway track at this moment,” a man is heard saying just before the accident. He probably equated people’s folly with their zeal.
The second point pertains to politicians’ insensitivity. Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha brazenly and promptly ruled out any punitive action against the driver of the train. “The incident was not Railways’ fault. There was no lapse on our part and no action against the driver will be initiated. People should refrain from organising such events near tracks in future. I think if precaution had been taken, the accident could have been averted,” he said. Blaming the victims of a gruesome mishap for it is neither polite nor politic, but the Minister is unbothered about civil niceties. We are always right—this is his motto, as of the almost entire political class.
Further, a few hours after the accident, he gave a clean chit to the driver. He even ruled out an inquiry, “What should we order an inquiry about? Trains travel in speed only.”
Then there is the Sidhu saga. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest at the Dussehra function. The Akali Dal wants the dismissal of the Sidhus from the state Cabinet on the grounds that his wife presided over an “unauthorised” event. The couple, however, is brazening it out. “Train was running at a speed of more than 100 km per hour. Some people say the top light of the train was not working. If top light was not there, you cannot get it out of the yard. If top light was working then you can see 3 km because train had a glass [window] at the front for view,” Minister Sidhu said.
The Union minister says his department, the Railways, is not responsible; the state minister says nobody except the Railways is. With allegations and counter-allegations flying, the real issue—safety around railway tracks—may be drowned first in cacophony and then buried in the inquiry committee’s report.
So, we come to the third point: governance in India is not only not proactive, it is not even adequately reactive. Accidents keep happening, so do disasters, both natural and manmade, followed with media outrage and public outcry, but nothing meaningful happens to check them, to learn from mistakes, to improve structures. Those who matter are not bothered, and public discourse remains focused on cows, the interpretation of history, and changing of names. The real issues get shrouded by the fake ones. The upshot is ubiquitous and all-engulfing banality. Irrespective of how the opinion polls are showcasing the situation in the five pollbound states, the Congress appears to be enhancing its prospects. While it is early in the day to state whether this improvement would ultimately translate into a much needed electoral victory, it certainly has disconcerted the Bharatiya Janata Party. Having over the last few years endured so many losses under its belt, the Congress has nothing to lose and can only benefit from the current scenario. However, so far as the BJP is concerned, a loss in any of the three states, where it has been in power for a considerable period, would be a major setback in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The primary reason for the apparent revival of the Congress is that its opponents had started taking things for granted. For instance, in Telangana, K. Chandrasekhar Rao has been convinced by his advisers that an early election would work to his advantage. In all probability, he underestimated the state Congress president, Uttam Reddy, who has propelled his party towards a possible victory. At this stage, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, which was sure of winning, is locked in a battle where the outcome could go either way.
In Madhya Pradesh, considered by many to be a BJP bastion, the Congress is clawing back into the contest. Three-time Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, continues to retain his individual popularity, but his citadel has been threatened by an extremely well-crafted campaign strategy devised and spearheaded by state Congress president Kamal Nath. Nath, a veteran who has won ten times from the same constituency since 1980, has been successful in reaching out to the party cadre. His close connection with Congress activists and the general masses over four decades in his own Parliamentary constituency of Chhindwara, has strengthened his credibility, and people look towards him for providing them the same sort of patronage. Doubtlessly, he is the most organised and efficient politician in the Congress and it is not surprising that he has left his mark on the campaign in which Rahul Gandhi has also been an active participant.
However, the Congress would certainly do better if it involves former Chief Minister, Digvijaya Singh, in its endeavour after 15 years to dislodge the BJP. Singh has been a popular leader and has an exceptional connect with the grassroots workers. His Parikrama Yatra along the Narmada had clearly galvanised the Congress activists, and by not utilising his services, the party high command is only restricting its chances. Singh may be on the wrong side of the central leadership, yet his political leverage remains intact. In case the Congress achieves the impossible task of wresting power from the BJP, he and Kamal Nath would be contenders for chief ministership.
The media has been consistently highlighting the possible roles of both Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot, the two dynamic young leaders in the Congress fold. Both seem to have a bright future, yet it is unlikely that at present they will reap any political dividends. Those who comprehend Congress politics would know that unless Rahul Gandhi himself occupies some office of power, the two cannot hope to be Chief Ministers in their respective states. One factor for currently not making it could be their lack of experience, but their elevation is directly linked to Rahul’s fortunes. Usually, the Congress has never appointed young Chief Ministers in any of the states governed by it. However, in the recent past, Ashok Chavan was the youngest, but he became a victim of power politics.
The Congress calculation would be two-fold. The main objective for the party is to defeat the BJP in the 2019 polls in order to usher in a non-saffron government at the Centre. In this context, the importance of the states assumes significance, as the party would like to have Chief Ministers or leaders, who would simultaneously deliver in the Parliamentary polls. In Rajasthan for instance, the Congress would do well to declare Ashok Gehlot as its CM nominee. With Vasundhara Raje being on a sticky wicket, Gehlot can dislodge her with ease from her lofty position. Chhattisgarh and Mizoram are also achievable targets, since the BJP, as a whole, is engaged in the battle of perception regarding its invincibility. The BJP’s chances, in these places, could be affected if the negative sentiment against the saffron brigade on account of rising prices, agrarian crisis, rampant unemployment, to name a few, nurtures roots sturdy enough to tilt the scales.
What commonly has been observed over the years is that the Congress has great difficulty in surmounting the last mile hurdles. This inability has cost them several elections in the past. What is imperative for the Congress leadership is that it should ensure that the overall ticket distribution process is fair, and not influenced by likes and dislikes of senior leaders but centred around merit and winability.
It is widely known that in the past, tickets in several instances were distributed taking in financial considerations. The mercenary factor has proved to be the undoing of many a Congress campaign. Unknown faces with money muscles received preference over well-placed and ingrained party activists. It would be in Rahul Gandhi’s interest if he was to prevent senior leaders from promoting undeserving candidates. The Congress must realise that if it does not get its act together, its downhill slide would continue and the party could hurtle towards decimation. Between us.