There is an old saying in Hindi that goes: “Jiski Lathi, Uski Bhains.” Loosely translated, it means that the buffalo belongs to the person holding the stick. That is the philosophy being pursued by the BJP in ruling the country. A confrontational and in-your-face attitude is seen in almost everything. They do not believe in a consultative process.
The latest example of this is the proposed law that penalizes truck drivers in the event of accidents involving loss of life from 2 years’ rigorous imprisonment to 10 years, with the added possibility of a fine ranging up to Rs 7 Lakhs. The issue is not whether this is correct or incorrect, whether it is severe or not, but the crux of the matter is that no consultations were held with those likely to be affected by the new proposed law.
This led to the truck drivers rising in protest and stopping the plying of trucks since they thought that the new penalties were excessive. The consequence of this was that close to some 2,000 petrol pumps in Northern and Western India ran out of stocks, and people were put to difficulty. Thankfully, the Truckers Association met the government bureaucracy and obtained the assurance that the Bill has not been made into law, and they will look into it. With this assurance, the truck drivers’ strike was called off. What stops the present government from discussing these measures with those affected before implementation is something that is not understood.
