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Stir at the drop of a hat is to polarise voters: CJI

New Delhi: Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan on Tuesday decried the tendency of political parties and politicians to resort to agitations and threaten the public order on the flimsiest of reasons when a dialogue could be the best solution.

“In many instances, such extreme measures are clearly a strategy to polarise the electorate. Such a regressive brand of political action is threatening to undo the very foundations on which our constitutional order has been built, namely those of respect for ‘rule of law,’ ‘equal treatment before the law’ and ‘due process [of law]’.”

Justice Balakrishnan was speaking on “Restoration of national values,” at a conference organised by the Foundation for Restoration of National Values here.

“State is given a monopoly over the use of violence in the form of the military, police powers and the criminal justice system. This means that all other group interests in society — whether they are in the form of political parties, caste groups, linguistic groups or business concerns must respect the legitimacy of the state. That is a precondition for ensuring a climate where constitutionally guaranteed rights are respected and promoted.”

The Chief Justice said: “It is quite distressing to note that differences based on caste, religion, gender, class and regionalism continue to be the root causes behind organised and often institutionalised violence. Especially in the last few months, one can recount several instances of senseless violence and disruption of routine life in different parts of the country.”

He said: “In a pluralist society such as ours, there are bound to be perpetual differences as well as conflicts among the interests of various sections. However, the test for building an inclusive nation is one that pertains to the means used to resolve these differences.”

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