Indian Political Drama : Congress Leader jailed for hate speech

Recently, India has witnessed a stranger political drama in India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. The incidents might seem like a sequence of Hindi B-Grade movies. The sequence goes like this:-

10 July 2009 : News about Uttar Pradesh DGP visiting Dalit victims in his state and paying compensation as per SC/ST atrocities ac has hit

headlines. It comes as no surprise as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati , being a Dalit herself. Her party fared well below expectation in last Indian general election. So many thought, this was an act of appeasement of her Dalit people. Most probably, other political parties, specially Congress, thought of countering this.

16th July 2009 : News broke that Congress state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi remarked about his compensation that it is very inadequate, and said “If Mayawati thinks that such an amount is fair compensation for the mental and physical trauma suffered by a rape victim, then I would be ready to offer her a compensation of Rs.1 crore”. Source.

After this remark were known, Mayawati reacted quickly and ordered Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s arrest as well as charge her with SC/ST atrocities (Prevention) Act and she herself became eligible for Rs. 25000/- compensation as per the SC/ST atrocities (Prevention) Act. provisions.

Also some miscreants torched the house of Rita Bahuguna Joshi in Lucknow. What a quick justice!

Rita Bahuguna Joshi has been remanded to 14 days Jail. Her bail plea was rejected as expected since SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act is a tough law to deal with atrocities against Dalits and other tribal people in India.
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Indian media had a field day. Civil society and educated Indians had a very embarrassing day. Though Mayawati is correct to the letter of the law, but may be she is not correct with the spirit of the law. Most probably, DGP is too high a rank to pay the compensation himself after traveling by Helicopter. One can easily see the political brownie points by this act. The reaction by Congress State Chief, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, an upper caste, is even more deplorable. Her remarks about Mayawati ( though she later apologised to Mayawati as well as regretted that she remarked in a fit of anger) was totally parliamentary.
Sonia Gandhi, Congress President had to regret the remark by her state chief. Mayawati was quick to exploit Dalit sentiment with these events.
A sad episode for Indian political system as well Indian democracy.

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