The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Criminalisation of politics spawns culture of violence

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Sunday, Dec 09, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Criminalisation of politics spawns culture of violence

Special Correspondent

Ramadoss blames media too

CHENNAI: Criminalisation of politics, skewed development when certain industries prosper at the cost of the farm sector, education without values, communalism and political interference in the functioning of the police are some of the causes for the growing culture of violence, according to participants at a seminar organised here by a forum of advocates.

Addressing the meeting, conducted by the Advocates Forum for Social Justice, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss said it was true that politics was the root cause of the culture of violence. “Politics is no more the last resort of scoundrels. It has become the first choice of such elements.”

Next to politicians, the media was responsible for this culture, he said. The police and the judiciary too should own responsibility for the deteriorating situation. Dr. Ramadoss said political leaders, the police and the judiciary should make concerted efforts to ensure that Tamil Nadu remained peaceful. The politicians, the police and criminals formed a vicious circle, and every effort should be made to break the nexus, he said.

Calling for the imposition of total prohibition, Dr. Ramadoss lamented that the youth were taking to liquor and drugs at a very young age.

Serious challenge

N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, listed terrorist attacks, the embattled situation arising out of communal issues and intolerance of the freedom of expression as serious challenges to society.

Appreciating the Pasumai Thayagam for having debated issues such as land acquisition and special economic zones a few months ago, he said they were the hot and dominant topics now. Mr. Ram said the State should not side with private estate developers to forcibly dispossess farmers of their lands using legal means. He asked whether social justice would not mean anticipating what the farmer would have got had he sold the land later when the area had become an industrial hub.

He, however, said “short-cuts” like debarring persons from contesting elections once a court framed charges against them would not work. Reiterating the need to attend to the root of the problem, Mr. Ram said criminalisation of politics would lead to criminalisation of governance itself.

Though violence by terrorist attacks, as witnessed in the North-East and Jammu and Kashmir, was “not too bad, but quite serious,” he said it was better than the situation in the countries in the neighbourhood.

He cautioned that communalism remained alive and vigorous in India. As for the rising intolerance, he said it was a great shame that India’s greatest modern painter M.F. Husain was in exile because of the tens of harassment cases filed against him. The Centre was unable to take a clear stand, he said.

Mr. Ram said that despite the wonderful progress in many sectors, India would not be a developed country by 2020, as visualised by the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. “It will only be a pipe dream,” he said, citing the poor National Family Health Survey figures.

D.R. Karthikeayan, former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, said the socio-economic-political injustice was the major cause for most of the distortions, disparities and violence. The police must be an instrument of law and not tools in the hands of politicians.

While former judge of the Madras High Court Malai. Subramanian urged advocates to contribute their mite to the fight against violence, advocate N.G.R. Prasad said politicians considered money power more important than commitment to people. Lamenting that medical students had to shell out lakhs of rupees in fees, Mr. Prasad said it would hardly help instil a sense of social purpose in students and professionals.

K. Balu, president of the forum, said that besides issues of social justice, glaring societal injustice would be highlighted by the forum.

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