The enemies within!

India has witnessed many adversities, both from outside and internally, ever since it became independent. There have been water wars, battles for reservation as backward classes, on job reservations, on pension and perks, creation of new states, for or against imposition of Hindi language, on fear of abrogation of personal laws, on food choices, political fights, communal clashes etc. which could happen only in a democracy, immature though it often is.

Our neighbours, in addition, are promoting terrorists in attacking our symbols of governance and democracy in alarming regularity. The country faces a grim situation in Kashmir and I cannot for once disagree the slipshod handling of J&K all throughout the last 65 years. We have failed in homogenizing the local populace with the mainstream Indian citizens; article 370 coming in the way.

Be that as it may, my objective is about the rise of a pseudo-secular group of so-called intellectuals, journalists and TV anchors who only carry their diatribe against the government. The opposition parties no longer carry the onerous burden of patriotism and national fervor. Their objective is merely to zero in on the errors of the government and to entrap it. What is forgotten is that the inherited legacy of 65 years is now handed over. There is a clamor for war! There cannot be a magical solution through war alone. The repercussions could be as damaging to our economy as well, which is struggling to standout against the overall economic depression around the world.

These pseudo secular, opinionated writers, journalists never fail to jump at the first given opportunity to criticize anything that happens, good or bad. Through their myopic vision and forked tongues they have unleashed invectives that would make any self-respecting Indian ashamed. The time is not akin to Dalits being beaten up, or Muslims being punished for consuming beef or raped girls committing suicide. Damn it! It is a more than proxy war by a recalcitrant neighbour, propped up by their Godfather China, who has all the grouse on our growth.

I was angry, when a minister of NDA used the term ‘Presstitutes,’ a couple of months ago, in reference to a few bigoted media persons. If the term had any remote analogy to prostitutes, I can dare say the minister had grossly erred; prostitutes have morals; presstitutes do not have one! News making has become lucrative. Foreign powers are interested in propagating the lines of their choice, a few opposing political parties too fund their lines of thoughts, our enemies have their say which a few media persons gobble up and spread.

All these fattens the purses of a few crooked newscasters, anchors, editors, journalists, writers and now also a few who are active in forming opinions in social networking sites. They merely have to keep embarrassing the government, criticizing, if any decisive action is taken or otherwise. For them it is an easy path to glory by throwing a shoe at a leader on the podium, propelling them to otherwise unattainable prominence at the gaping nation.

We may have many ills, Hindutva, Ganga ma, cow urine, beef, pork, Patidars, Jats, JNU and many such. A grim scenario of terrorists killing our jawans, sneaking into our land is in no way anything similar to above. We have to stand stoically behind the government and help it tide over a crisis by taking corrective steps. Give some positive suggestions if you do have!

Citizens of no other country in the world would have been divided in their stand, while dealing with a pariah state like we do. With these enemies within, we may not need one outside at all!

Sampath Kumar
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