The fast declared for Thursday, by the Prime Minister, BJP president Amit Shah and other party members can only be interpreted as a frantic step in the light of elections to Karnataka and, subsequently, to other State Assemblies before the big test in 2019. Mr. Shah’s choice of site gives us a clue. Such instances have already devalued the concept and practice of satyagraha. The reason for Thursday’s “ritual”, namely, the impasse in Parliament, is too ludicrous to be even credible. Nobody knows what happened to the earlier step that was thought of by some BJP MPs that they would forgo their salary as atonement for money wasted in the washout of the session. Forgoing one’s salary and fasting for a day are methods of escapism. There are even allegations that the ruling party “used” the AIADMK to ensure continuous disruption in both Houses. The public perception is that the washout is the collective failure of both government and opposition. . Democratic decency demands the resignation of at least the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs for the sorry state of parliamentary affairs.
P.R.V. Raja,
Pandalam, Kerala
