Like any other person these vigilantes may claim to enjoy the right to protest, but a closer look at their move would make it abundantly clear that behind the façade of their argument that these journalists were tarnishing the image of their leader, their real motto has been to subvert the democratic institutions and their functioning.

The vigilante attack has been taking place at a time when mainstream media has surrendered before the rulers and have partnered in their design to split India on communal line. No doubt this is also a mechanism to gain cheap popularity and prominence in the party the primary tsk has been to serve the interest of the rightist forces.

The latest vigilante attack on media is part of the deep rooted conspiracy. If at all the Modi government was on the right path, pursuing a politically correct line then it would not have faced so much of criticism. Obviously questions arise; Why is India targeting writers during the coronavirus pandemic? Why are journalists, intellectuals and dissidents being threatened?

This has been happening at a time when the Modi government is making tall claims of it being pro people. In fact the world is reassured into believing constitutional rights and freedoms thrive in India, while they are actually under grave threat.

A cursory look at the various governments across the world would make it explicit that they are scared of the intellectuals, journalists and academics. People are yet to forget the valiant fight of this section against the misrule of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. True enough the Modi government has been following in the footsteps of the rulers. A number of renowned scholars are already in jails for their opposition to the various acts of the Modi government. Since the government cannot directly charge and implicate them for criticising its policies and performances, they are accused of indulging in anti-national activities and charged under sedition. Almost all the academics and journalists are charged with promoting “enmity, hatred or illwill among classes”; the task which is actually being performed in full public view by the ruling politicians

The last six years of Modi’s government have seen an alarming crackdown on campus dissidents as well as journalists and writers. Journalists routinely face intimidation, legal proceedings and restrictions on accessing information.

The modus operandi of these vigilantes have been very simple they approach a court in remote areas and file complain. It is not to suggest that the court should not listen to the aggrieved voice. But it must refrain from unwittingly lending its shoulders for somebody else’s gun to rest and fire. The higher judicial body must take this trend seriously and appoint a small committee to look into such complains. The aggrieved person should submit his complain to the committee. Once the committee is satisfied that prima facie it has substance it may forward to some judicial officer for proceedings in the matter.

The judiciary is the trustee of democracy and fundamental rights of the people. It has the power of judicial review over the legislature and the executive. The Supreme Court had devised Public Interest Litigation methodology, relaxing the rule of locus standi, if a case for the Court’s intervention is made out, in particular, where the fundamental rights of poverty-stricken, disabled, downtrodden or hapless are involved. One thing is absolutely clear that too much such petitions would turn out to be counter-productive. It will erode the prestige and credibility of the judiciary too.

This modus operandi of vigilantes will acquire much bigger dimension in future with economy crisis further deepening and declining. India is already at the bottom of investment grade rating scale. Global credit agency Moody’s Investors Service has pricked the Narendra Modi government’s balloon. The announcement came a few days back just hours after Prime Minister Modi had chaired the first cabinet meeting of his second year in office in his second term and his ministers seemed chuffed about the “historic decisions” taken on Monday to revive a floundering economy that is emerging from the lockdown.

Moody’s said the downgrade decision reflected its view that the “country’s policymaking institutions will be challenged in enacting and implementing policies which effectively mitigate the risks of a sustained period of relatively low growth, significant deterioration in the general government fiscal position and stress in the financial sector”.

The latest downgrade by Moody’s to Baa3 with a negative outlook is good reason for the Modi government to worry, especially after RBI forecast a contraction of the economy this fiscal after announcing a policy interest rate cut 10 days ago.

Even leading management consulting firm McKinsey and Company has been sceptical of the future economic spectre. According to it the cost of stabilising and protecting households, companies and lenders could exceed Rs 10 lakh crore, or more than 5% of GDP in such a scenario.

If the lockdown continues for additional two–three weeks in Q2 and Q4 FY 2021 because of virus resurgence, it could mean an even deeper economic contraction of around 8 to 10 per cent for fiscal year 2021. The report suggested; “This could occur if the virus flares up a few times over the rest of the year, necessitating more lockdowns, causing even greater reluctance among migrants to resume work, and ensuring a much slower rate of recovery".

In this backdrop the only way left out for the government would be to intensify its crackdown against the journalists, intellectuals and academics. Though the next Lok Sabha elections are after four years now, but the political leaders would certainly like to ensure that the cadence of dissenting voices must not pick up and intensify and acquire momentum. (IPA Service)