The ongoing misinformed farmers’ protests is evoking a strong sense of ‘brotherhood’ among those in Punjab, and those who have been beneficiaries of a socialist status quo in the country’s agricultural sector for eons. With the Modi’s government’s bold and revolutionary move of liberalising the agricultural sector of India, beneficiaries of the same old status quo are naturally riled up, and have risen up in arms against the three farm laws.
Now, apart from making absolute clowns of themselves, the farmer unions through their fake show on the borders of Delhi are also serving as a way-out for various compromised, corrupt and inefficient public servants to resign from their government duties, citing a conflict of their conscience in serving a government which is allegedly stripping farmers of all their rights and snatching away their precious farm lands.
Case in point is Punjab’s DIG (Prisons) Lakhminder Singh Jakhar, who has quit his job to support farmers protesting the three new farm laws, saying the pieces of legislation were “detrimental to the interest of farmers and their future generations.” In his letter of resignations, Jakhar said, “As I am myself a farmer by birth and same being inherited to me from my forefathers who tilled their agricultural lands with hands to grow food and serve mankind. I have always listened to my conscience and now I earnestly feel that I should stand by my brotherhood.”
Almost immediately, the senior police officer from Punjab was hailed as an icon of dissent by India’s liberal media, who cared less about his own job and career, and more about his farmer brothers being stripped of all their rights. What the media did not care to report, however, was the fact that Lakhminder Singh Jakhar is an alleged corrupt official, who had been suspended in May this year for being involved in a corruption scandal. The man has already, so to speak, been relieved of all his duties, which is why him tendering a resignation now under the garb of farmers’ protest is a mere eyewash.
TFI had earlier reported how there are visible similarities between the ongoing farmers’ protests and the anti-CAA-NRC agitation witnessed last year in the country. Back then too, a number of individuals had resigned from their posts in support of those protesting against CAA-NRC combine. For example, Zee Media’s former production head Nasir Azmi had taken to social media to state that he had resigned in solidarity with students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University, who according to him, Zee News did not do justice to while reporting.
Read more: The striking similarities between Shaheen Bagh and Farmers’ protests
Having been turned into an activist by resigning from Zee News and supporting those protesting against CAA, it was shortly revealed that Azmi, in fact, had been served a month-long notice period for not being up to mark professionally. Effectively, the man was at the brink of being sacked by Zee Media in any case, and in order to save himself the shame, Nasir decided to extend his support to those protesting against the Modi government.
Same was the case of IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who had resigned from his post of secretary, power department of the Union Territories of Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli after the abrogation of Article 370 and revocation of Kashmir’s special status by the Modi government in August last year. “After taking the decision on Kashmir, nearly 20 days have passed and even now, the people there are not allowed to react or respond to it and that is not acceptable in a democratic set-up. Personally, I could not accept it and continue in the service during such a time,”Gopinathan had told PTI.
Again, here too, it was revealed that the IAS officer who had come out in the open against the Modi government, was, in fact, facing a memorandum proposing initiation of disciplinary proceedings against him for acts of insubordination, adoption of dilatory tactics and dereliction of duty, etc.The memorandum served to the officer stated that he had been indulging in various acts of omission and commission which constitute misconduct.
Therefore, irrespective of the times or causes, any anti-government protest will have certain non-performing public service assets, or generally inefficient individuals throwing up their resignations as a mark of courage, notwithstanding the fact that they already face proceedings, or have even been relieved of their duties owing to their acts. Anti-government protests are therefore becoming a breeding ground of activists, who either have already been kicked out of their jobs and rendered unemployable, or are on the verge of being sacked.
The new refuge of the scoundrel!