Where have our democratic values gone?

A number of photojournalists trying to take snap of the proceedings were injured while evidently discharging their professional duties.

It appears from the reports available that the opposition was totally fenced off and prevented from staging protest and demonstrate by taking out processions beyond many fixed points, something that was their democratic right to do.

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Yes, destruction of public property cannot be condoned nor should any party activist resort to such acts by way of imposing their will against anybody. That is not democratic. But, one cannot understand the repressive policy of the authorities in obstructing by force the opposition's right to ventilate its grievances so long as they do not break the norms of peace.

What is difficult to rationalise in an elective democracy is the excessively preemptive approach whereby opposition followers were prevented from emerging out of their party offices and come on to the streets. Dissent must be allowed space so long as it is voiced in a peaceful manner.

We cannot but wonder whether the ill advised strategy, of confining the opposition to one place and to their party office premises, that the law enforcing agencies have thought fit to employ, will not prove to be more counterproductive and will not in the long run precipitate a situation that might become more difficult to control eventually.

The opposition cannot be denied its political rights of which the right to assemble and that to protest are but a few, and which must be allowed as long as it remains peaceful.

An overly administrative approach to politics cannot only be a cynical attempt to rein in the opposition but also be counter-productive, which might actually give a fillip to those irresponsible elements who neither have the time nor love for democracy or democratic norms and practices.