An Irony - The First LaDiEs of InDiA
India swears in her first woman President, Pratibha Patil. The same day, the first Indian woman to join the Indian Police Service in 1972, Kiran Bedi, is denied the post of Police Commissioner ofDelhi...
The reason? A very lame excuse that she does not have enough active policing experience.
Can we forget that she earned the moniker Crane Bedi for towing away Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's illegally parked car during her tenure as chief of Traffic Police? That incident reflected her sense of duty and justice.
The most enduring images are of Bedi at India Gate during the Akali-Nirankari riots in 1977. The front page of a leading newspaper carried a series of shots of her amidst a large group of sword-wielding, turbaned Sikhs. The first shot showed a Sikh attacking one of her constables with his sword. The rest of the shots showed her beating the daylights out of that man with her lathi while the others stood with their limp swords, too shocked to react.
That's Kiran Bedi for you!
Today, I am unable to express my anger when I see her being discriminated against! Am I supposed to shut up and feel happy now that India has a woman President? A woman who until yesterday was a complete nobody, had no strong opinions, and added no great value during her career. When the UPA announced her candidature for post of the Honourable Rubber Stamp, the nation chorused: Pratibha who?!
Am I supposed to feel proud of the woman President who thinks that subjugation of Indian women began with the Mughal invaders? Not only does this show a very narrow view of history, it also reflects a deep-rooted prejudice against Muslims. The woman President, who pretends to decry the purdah system, wears a full-sleeved blouse and keeps her head covered under her pallu.
Perhaps she's the best candidate to be a rubber stamp. She will continue to serve the UPA and Madam Sonia with silent devotion. It is sad that she is stepping in to the shoes of someone like Abdul Kalam - the people's President - who proved that the highest post in India can be the voice of the nation. That is why I refuse to accept Pratibha Patil as my President. Maybe I will be vindicated when some day Kiran Bedi becomes our President.
1 comment:
Well, its good to see a Female President in India. But the point is, has she achieved anything so far? Apart from the so called acievement of becoming the First Female President of India, she hasnt done much in the past one year of her posting as President! She is quite a dummy doll selected by the UPA so as not to indulge much into their politics! What do you say?
- Praveen (RSK - Trichy)
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