The intense campaign of strong reactions to ten students shouting pro Pakistan slogans in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and particularly the violent drama enacted at the Patiala court complex when the main accused president of the JNU students leader was to be produced in the court left very bitter and acrid taste. Not because the main accused was manhandled inside the court complex but because the act of violence was perpetrated by the sitting legislator of the party and also by active members of the ruling party at the centre. The legislator, an elected representative of the party claimed boastfully that he was not averse to taking law in his hand and gunning down the anti national. The claim to pride in taking law in hand and punishing the person whom he thou8ght to be guilty is not a practice in vogue even in dictatorial regimes.

There is a difference between the rule of law and the rule by law. Here was a case where a sitting legislator desired to rule by his personal law. He could not have acted like this unless he had assured protection from some quarters in the party. No disciplinary action followed. But what followed was holocaust in Haryana where the Jat boys took lad unto their hands over the demand for reservations. The sudden eruption of violence on unprecedented scale, with the foundational build up of the demand was surprising. The Jat community was not aroused by display of passions in Rajasthan by Gurjars earlier and by Patel community in Gujarat last year over demand for reservations. They remained unmoved and impervious to demand by two communities was in keeping with their belief of their superiority. They suddenly erupted which raise suspicions of their real objective. They were motivated to take law in their hands from outside.

The violence in Haryana has transmitted signals that can adversely impact on the intense campaign of the prime minister to bring more capital and technologies from outside. But it would be a secondary issue. First and foremost is the reflection of failure of the party and also of the government. Neither the party has resorted to disciplinary action against the party legislator recommending taking of law in hand nor the government showed strong reaction.

The failure of the party was seen after the electoral debacle in the Bihar assembly election. Five leaders engineered communal tensions in Uttar Pradesh before the voting in Bihar and were responsible for the catastrophe. The party president had merely summoned them to chastises them cost they inflicted on party affecting the prestige of the Prime Minister. No disciplinary action followed. On the contrary, the cause of defeat was held collective responsibility. The party avoided naming obvious guilty.

The party observers may treat the lenient attitude towards the elements that had openly caused damage as big heart of the Prime Minister. But his generosity has caused immense damage the general perception is that he was not acting. Those who spoke out of turn and blabbered have done incalculable damage to the party of showing that was not able to manage itself as the ruling party. Leaders were dragging in different directions. The Delhi police slapped a charge of sedition against the president of the JNU students union to evoke a strong denouncement by the international intellectuals. The slogan shouting cannot be treated as a crime of such magnitude was their pea. But surprising was refusal o0f the Delhi police to oppose bail plea by the accused even though the charge was serious and of anti national activities. The law enforcement agencies had consistently for three years opposed the bail plea of politicians, arrested on charge of irregularities in their financial dealings.

In such a serious matter the Delhi police would not and do not form a stance without clear instructions from the home ministry. Hence the inspiration behind the stance of the Delhi police had apparently come from the highest quarters. Whether Narendra Modi was responsible for it or not, he cannot escape blame. In both the episodes, of the JNU drama and the subsequent violence with shields provided by the highest quarters inside or outside the party tells of the weakness of the Modi government. He has to lament over it was attempt not to allow him to function. His weakness emanates from the peculiar structure for power wielding the BJP is subjected to from its inception. Narendra Modi has to bear it whether he likes it or not.

This picture leaves an impression that despite all his show of power, he was weak at knee and has to bend down every time the Nagpur dictates so. His wishes do not matter even in formation of the government in Kashmir to fill vacancy caused by death of the chief minister two months ago. The BJP is showing kneejerk reactions to slogan shouting by Kashmiri students but is unable to resolve the dead lock over the installation of a legitimate government.