From 2012 to now, there have been umpteen number of cases where sons of elected representatives have taken law into their own hands, and the fathers who wield power, in their khadi clothes or khaki uniform, have scooped them in their arms, cajoling and encouraging them to do as they please.
"Tum jaante nahi mera baap kaun hai (Do you know who my powerful dad is)?" is a dialogue we have all heard often enough as the villain on screen bellows, only to come to blows with the hero soon after. And as I recall those scenes, I still can feel that adrenaline rush as the superstar packs a punch.
Cut to real. I wish I could quickly assemble 'Chitti' (the character played by Rajinikanth in Robot/2.0) just to give a fitting reply to some of those goons, who throw their weight around, simply because: "Tum jaante ho uska baap kaun hai (You very well know who and how powerful his dad is)!"
From 2012 to now, there have been umpteen number of cases where sons of elected representatives have taken law into their hands, and the fathers who wield power, in their khadi clothes or khaki uniform, have scooped them in their arms, cajoling and encouraging them to do as they please. Have you seen the Salman Khan film Wanted? The hero, who is a gangster, threatens the hospital staff to get his girlfriend treated. Well, some netas are 'elected gangsters'.
In November 2012, TMC leader Ashish Dey openly threatened a hospital staff with gun in Seuri area of West Bengal. In August, 2015, IPS officer-turned-Trinamool MLA Sultan Singh was caught teaching TMC leader Mili Ray how to fire a pistol, creating uproar. In May, 2016, Rocky Yadav aka Rakesh Ranjan, son of Janata Dal (United) leader in Bihar, Manorama Devi, gunned down a student, Aditya Sachdev, son of a local businessman in Gaya, for overtaking his SUV.
A tax payer's hard-earned money is spent on that SUV and that gun that these netas' sons can use to satisfy their murderous rage. 2016 was home to several such incidents. On June 14, 2016, Abhay Verma, Congress MP Sajan Verma’s nephew, thrashed a restaurateur with his accomplices in New Delhi. The cops were present inside the restaurant as Verma hurled punches at the restaurateur.
In February, 2016, CISF detained TMC leader Naren Chakraborty at Kolkata airport when he was attempting to board a Chennai-bound flight with gun. Ravela Susheel, son of Andhra Pradesh's then social welfare minister Ravela Kishore, was arrested on March 6, 2016, for allegedly trying to molest a woman. And these are the politicians who debate about women's safety in the Assembly session in their respective states. Isn't that a shame? And they are nowhere present in the #MeToo list!
Karnataka government has introduced the Good Samaritan bill to encourage people to come forward and help accident victims. But the cops prefer to remain mute spectators when there is a goon fighting in the restaurant.
2017 turned worse with some of these thugs turning lecherous and some others turning frenzied. In 2017, Vikas Barala, son of Haryana BJP chief and MLA Subhash Barala, and his friend Ashish were accused of stalking and harassing Varnika Kundu, daughter of an IAS officer.
The same year, Ambarish, son of Telugu Desam Party MP Kristappa Nimmala, and his associates ransacked a toll booth in Bagepalli of Karnataka. On November 22, 2017, video of Karnataka JD(S) MLA Sa Ra Mahesh's son Jayanth assaulting a man accused of chain snatching went viral.
Political traits of sacrifices have now given way to dynasty politics. Struggle for independence in the country started with the word Swaraj, meaning self-rule. Today, it is defined by goonda raj. And the spate of incidents this year is enough proof.
February 5, 2018: A Dubai court issued travel ban on Binoy Kodiyeri, elder son of Kerala CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan as he was convicted of a cheating case filed by a Gulf-based tourism company.
February 19, 2018: Mohammed Nalapad, son of Bengaluru's Congress NA Haris, was arrested for fatally assaulting a businessman's son Vidwath.
July 1, 2018: Son of Rajasthan BJP MLA Banswara Dhan Singh Rawat dragged a man out of his car in the middle of a road and beat him up for not letting the brat’s car overtake.
July 16, 2018: Karnataka BJP MLA Govind Karjol's son Arjun Karjol was accused of abusing a police officer, who had questioned him for parking his vehicle in a no-parking zone.
August 3, 2018: D Sanjay, son of senior Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) politician, D Srinivas, was booked under Nirbahaya act after students of a private nursing college alleged sexual harassment.
September 2, 2018: Rohit Tomar, son of Delhi police officer Ashok Singh Tomar, was arrested after being accused of raping and beating a girl inside a BPO owned by his friend.
While they may all misuse their power, don't we as citizens hold the most powerful thing called 'vote'? Our democracy can smash to smithereens if we remain silent on issues that matter. Name them, shame them, book them, and vote them out. Let's come together to tell these 'Most Wanted', "Tum jaante nahi mein kaun hoon (You have no idea who I am)!" Perhaps, like how Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan says in the movie Chennai Express: Don't underestimate the power of a common man!
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