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Is Your Country Free and Democratic?

I must admit, I have started admiring Aseem Trivedi. I had not known much about him. I have not seen his cartoons until a couple of days ago.

Guess, what he has been arrested and charged with sedition for ‘mocking the parliament’. (Read Report)

But some members of parliament (elected officials a.k.a sanctimonious politicians) who were involved in a scuffle, in the august house itself are roaming around free. Apparently landing a few punches to opposition party members is not “mocking the parliament”. (Read Report)

Anyways I have always believed that I lived in a free and democratic country? So I decided to ask myself a few questions.

  1. Does your country harass cartoonists?
  2. Does your country reinvent its past history?
  3. Does your country treat past politicians as holy cows?
  4. Does your country harass writers/authors?
  5. Does your country curb internet freedoms?
  6. Does your country have censorship of films?
  7. Does your country have different laws for different faiths?
  8. Does your country jail peaceful activists?

If you answer yes to a majority of the questions above, do you still think your country is a free and democratic?

If you do, then maybe you are a member of parliament.

Comments

9 responses to “Is Your Country Free and Democratic?”

  1. Fem Avatar
    Fem

    We just need to apply the Constitution and the laws. The government can also act illegally.

    Reply
  2. Rashtrakut » Blog Archive » Teaching India’s thin skilled corrupt politicians a lesson

    […] is mocking national symbols, the constitution etc.  However, a blog article I noticed right now made a very important point.  It notes that all Trivedi did was mock India’s Parliament in cartoon form. […]

    Reply
  3. Bhagwad Jal Park Avatar
    Bhagwad Jal Park

    It goes without saying that the sedition law has no place in a free India. When will the Supreme Court step in and knock it down?

    Reply
    1. Aditya Kane Avatar
      Aditya Kane

      @Bhagwad: The sedition law will not be so easily be repealed until citizens start using it against politicians themselves. Politicians and the police love this law, as it gives them all kinds of powers to harass. Maybe the tables need to be turned on them.
      Maybe next time someone is being harassed they can sing the national anthem. Apparently stopping someone from singing the anthem can mean a 3 year term under Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act.

      Reply
    2. Aditya Kane Avatar
      Aditya Kane

      To add to that, Supreme Court does not have the right to knock down laws – they have the right to mete out justice and interpret laws. And this is with good reason.

      Reply
  4. B k Chowla Avatar
    B k Chowla

    We attained freedom 65 yrs ago.We have yet to get independence.
    No one can accuse the govt of such silly acts during 6 yrs of ABV rule.
    It is this present set up which has destroyed the basic secular fabric of the country

    Reply
    1. Aditya Kane Avatar
      Aditya Kane

      @BK Chowla: I would disagree that the rule of ABV such things never happened. Tehelka getting investigated all through after they exposed corruption is well documented. So the machinery was used against media.

      But I would agree that the current government has simply lost the plot and some of its actions are beyond sense.

      Reply
  5. Aditya Avatar
    Aditya

    Just a question, Have you seen all of his cartoons

    Reply
    1. Aditya Kane Avatar
      Aditya Kane

      Yes I have. What is the point you are making?

      Reply

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