The news of tribal women from Korba in Chhattisgarh protesting in a state of semi undress is deeply problematic and reflects the utter disregard and contempt for citizen voices by the establishment.
These women are protesting against the south eastern coal fields or SECL for reneging on its promise of jobs for family persons of those displaced due to compulsory acquisition of their lands. That their patience was abused and they had to self outrage their modesty is demonstrative of the systemic impunity, corruption and insensitivity that has set in. They alleged corruption in the process and that outsiders and non affected persons were given jobs meant for them and their wards. The question begged is the absurdist silence the system throws back at any question or grievance addressed to it. This is like Sartre saying that the universe replies with a stony silence at all the questions mankind hurls at it. But why are the citizens that too in a collective, so powerless Infront of a system formed by their votes and run by their taxes. This challenges our claim of being a democracy as well as a republic. How dysfunctional a representative democracy has become that no political party ruling or opposition is standing with a protest of tribal women, not even its symbolism could inspire them. The institutions of the republic have already disowned them, no judiciary or law enforcement agency has stepped in to take up their cause. Even such extreme measures like today’s protest are unlikely to draw much attention. The risk this poses to the republic is enormous. Any republic is nothing more than a repository of public trust. That lost, the republic turns into a mere tyranny. Today the system has disowned them, what if they disown the system tomorrow. A people so brutalized, cannot grow human, and develop their own genius. These were exactly the reasons we fought our freedom movement on. This is exactly what any anti colonial struggle aims at. Has the republic forgotten them.
The dismantling of a republic
