Duty over rights: PM Modi echoing RSS’S template

The process is on as GOI is all set to rename Rajpath and Centra Vista lawns as Kartaya Path. GOI’s change of name on the lines of “Amrit Kaal” which lays major thrust on the duty of citizens It is also interpreted that the renaming sends a clear message that the era of rulers and subjects is over. If we recall PM Modi’s Independence Day speech had stressed on the abolition of symbols relating to colonial mindset. Similar message was also stressed on the importance of duties to the run up to 2047. These aspects add behind the christening of ‘Kartaya Path’.
On the surface the statements that PM Modi made seem to be convincing. While on the other, the underpinning of those statements needs careful scrutiny. PM Modi is the highest political executive who heads GOI is subtly changing the narratives more in tune to the templates of RSS. PM Modi seem to have been obsessed with ‘rights’ and so he tends to pitch it as against the ‘duties’. During pre-independence period we had the colonial powers as the ruling class. In the post-Independent India, we have another set of ruling class – PM Modi belong to that class.
The party that governs India is BJP. The head of the government is PM Modi. PM Modi and his government (cabinet) are given the powers to govern the country within the framework of the Indian constitution. The governed are the people/citizens who have elected the government to discharge their duties diligently and fairly. At the same time the constitution has extended powers and privileges to the citizens to exercise their rights when their rights are negated or throttled. As the Indian citizenry matures it will keep raising their rights.
It is a contractual obligation that works between the govern and the governed. The electoral contract underpins this obligation vis-à-vis duties and rights. Those who have been culturally silenced, economically marginalized, politically side-lined and those who are pushed to the peripheries without any basic amenities for decades have all the rights to ask the government to who they exercised their franchise. Millions of citizens live in squalid conditions without any basic amenities, unemployment and inflation – not in a position to meet both the ends.
In such a scenario, it is the duty of the government vis-à-vis the political class to offer needed assistance and thus address the situation. The narrative of PM Modi is clearly designed deflecting the failure of the central government as citizens or people of the country keep asking the government to look into unemployment, spiraling prices of the essential commodities, poor infrastructural facilities in cities like Bengaluru where the rains ripped open the. government that failed to translate the promises and duties. Big structures, monuments and hubs are not symbols of governance. The central vista project the government spent Rs, 20,000 crores.
We need to carefully ponder over the narrative. RSS in its vocabulary talks about ‘duty’ to the organization as well as to the nation. Since RSS by and large controlled and driven by Brahminism. Manusmiriti which is a ‘code of Manu’ is a document that compiles and organizes the code of conduct for human society. Manu smriti is a code of conduct put together by Brahmins. Brahmins are the ruling caste/class and the duty of Shudras to serve the upper varnas faithfully with devotion and without grudgingly.
It is the law of Manu that would mold and set the course of Hindu Rashtra – promoting social, economic and gender inequality. The schema of caste indoctrinated by the varna system and accordingly assigned duties. In the initial decades of free-independent India those who were in the lower rungs of the caste system followed the ‘duties’ dutifully. After 75 years of Independence, the ruling class wants them to follow the scheme as written in the law of Manu, but people ask their rights and want their problems to be solved. When citizens ask for their rights enshrined in Constitution, GOI wants to deflect and thus twists its narratives.
GOI is not doing any favor by giving away ‘rights’ to the people. It is the constitution that has extended the citizens the rights, which is fundamental and foundational to democracy. Let the political class do their duties – as their duty is to govern the citizens with justice and prudence.
Duties and rights are like rails that runs parallels to one another. There should be checks and balance to the ruling class. For the citizens rights extends those protective mechanisms. Ruling class/castes have the tendency to abuse their power and authority.
We have been witnessing the ways with which the ruling classes and the dominant cates show their power and authority over the poor and the vulnerable. Once they get into the seat of power their total attitude changes. Whether the colonial masters or Indian ruling class the basic characteristics remain the same. Along with power other things automatically come. The caste system kept the Dalits and indigenous people in the same status all in the name of ‘duty’.
When these categories of people raise their voices and ask for their constitutional rights and privileges the ruling class/castes gets irritated or disturbed. In a functioning democracy, citizens are the center that democracy to move on for which ‘rights’ play the crucial role. When citizens/people contribute to GDP, GNP, development and growth, they have all the right to questions which is part and parcel of their rights. Codes of Manu and hierarchical division of society assigning duties need to countered and totally annihilated like that of caste system.
Dr. John Mohan Razu