SOURCE:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/haryana-s-social-fabric-lies-in-tatters/205419.html
THE violence in Haryana that marked the recent agitation by the Jats seeking reservation in government jobs has shredded the social fabric of Haryana. The brotherhood between the so-called 36 communities, that has been the hallmark of the social milieu in the state for centuries, has been shattered creating distrust among members of different communities. While officially peace has returned and law and order has been restored, life in the teeming cities, towns and villages is not the same as before. The fear factor is all too evident. If the cities tend to wind up the day early in the evening, the villages look sleepy once the sun sets. Post-riots, the nights have become lengthier by at least a couple of hours as people become more security conscious, preferring the safety of the four walls of the home.
The bonhomie in village chaupals and bars in the cities is missing. The loud banter, the trade mark of Haryana, have given way to hush-hush manner of talk. The jokes and loud guffaws that cut across caste and community lines in the village gatherings have paved the way for a more serious manner of talk that most find boring. Things are bound to improve in the coming months, but, nobody expects everything will be the same again.
Members of the Arya Samaj take out a peace rally in violence-hit Rohtak. PTI
Despite the fact that the caste system has a strong grip on rural Haryana, centuries of dwelling together had created a system that ensured peace was not disturbed. Barring occasional incidents, members of all communities lived peacefully. Even religion did not deter people from socialising. The elders from all communities commanded a certain respect and in times such as these their word carried weight. Though elections are hotly contested in Haryana, especially panchayat polls, peace is taken for granted. Such was the feeling of brotherhood called bhaichara colloquially that in times of need the village communities always acted as one unit. Just a month before the violent Jat stir, panchayat polls were conducted peacefully. This goes to prove that caste and community factors were never a potent cause of violence anywhere in the state till then. Or else there was no question of peaceful polls. Then, what is it that changed the scene merely weeks later?
The answer probably lies in the recent changes in prescribed educational qualifications for the panches and sarpanches. Those elected this time round were merely the luckier ones from amongst the qualified candidates. They won but they did not command respect from the village youth who took to looting and burning anything they saw as the protests turned violent. In the past, panches and sarpanches may not have been educated enough, but they certainly had enough weight in their word to stop the young from taking to violence. So, a proper mature leadership that could have prevented mayhem, was absent in the villages. We need to explore this further to ensure that in our quest for educated representatives we do not have an ineffective leadership on our hands.
Political parties need to rework their strategies and have a relook at their moral and ethical values. It is unfortunate that no political party of any hue has come out with its hands clean from this episode. The rebukes to the politicians of every party by the people of the violence-hit areas are a severe condemnation of their role in the agitation and the resulting violence. There is no denying the fact that all the opposition parties saw in this stir an opportunity to hit at the weak government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. Even in the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party, several leaders were initially as much interested in rocking the Khattar boat as the opposition leaders.
Leaders of all political parties played a role in propping up self-styled leaders of the various factions of the Jat community that were itching for a stir. None of these so-called leaders, including Hawa Singh Sangwan and Yahpal Malik, has any following in the Jat community. Minus the issue of reservation, they are absolutely irrelevant. But, Jat politicians extended them all help to launch the agitation.
Because of this covert support, the agitators were leaderless. Both Sangwan and Malik had receded to safer havens once the agitation got underway. They had no control over the protesters who were left fuming with their communal passions roused. The headless groups became violent in no time.
It is difficult to believe that the senior leaders of political parties are naïve enough not to have anticipated violence under these circumstances. Their plea that they never thought the violence will take a communal turn is equally incredulous. In short, all political parties and their leaders must share the blame for the violence that has left the society in tatters.
What bothers the common man in Haryana today is not how reservation for Jats will impact them, but, how to prevent the entire state from becoming another flashpoint like Muzzafarnagar. Even seasoned politicians agree that the divide between various communities is so dangerous that violence could recur at the slightest pretext. The distrust among communities in the rural areas could distrub the equilibrium. In the cities, a large number of violence-hit families, especially in Rohtak and Jhajjar, are bound to migrate to nearby Delhi in the months to come. This will create a panic among those who choose to stay.
These are areas of concern which the government, political parties and social organisations need to focus on in the future. Politicians in particular need to win over the confidence of the people afresh. As such they had low credibility which has been further eroded by the violence and their role in it.
Rohtak, Sonipat and Jhajjar areas have been under the influence of the Arya Samaj for decades in the past. Although this influence has waned in recent years, there is still no dearth of well-meaning figures in the area who can help remove doubts and fears among various communities and make Haryana a land of peace and harmony again.
The writer, a veteran Haryana journalist, worked with The Tribune for 30 years
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/haryana-s-social-fabric-lies-in-tatters/205419.html
REFERENCES :-
(K)Part- 11/X:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2020/12/jat-reservation-agitation.html
(J) Part-10/ X:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/sourcehttpwww.html
(H) Part-8/9 :- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-8-let-there-be-no-more.html
(G) PART- 7/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-79-let-truth-behind.html
(F) Part- 6/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-6-9-face-to-face-with.html
(E) Part -5/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-5-days-later-govt.html
(D) Part -4/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-4-why-haryana.html
(C) Part -3/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/harynarchy-part-3-backward-march-who.html
(B) Part -2/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/03/haryanarchy-part-2-blunting-instrument.html
( A) Part -1/9:- https://bcvasundhra.blogspot.com/2016/02/internal-security-indian-army-goof-up.html
HARYANARCHY : HARYANA'S SOCIAL FABRIC LIES IN TATTERS
BY
Raman Mohan
The social fault lines are a cause of concern for the common people. Members of the Jat community clashing with others during the agitation for reservation. PTI
THE violence in Haryana that marked the recent agitation by the Jats seeking reservation in government jobs has shredded the social fabric of Haryana. The brotherhood between the so-called 36 communities, that has been the hallmark of the social milieu in the state for centuries, has been shattered creating distrust among members of different communities. While officially peace has returned and law and order has been restored, life in the teeming cities, towns and villages is not the same as before. The fear factor is all too evident. If the cities tend to wind up the day early in the evening, the villages look sleepy once the sun sets. Post-riots, the nights have become lengthier by at least a couple of hours as people become more security conscious, preferring the safety of the four walls of the home.
The bonhomie in village chaupals and bars in the cities is missing. The loud banter, the trade mark of Haryana, have given way to hush-hush manner of talk. The jokes and loud guffaws that cut across caste and community lines in the village gatherings have paved the way for a more serious manner of talk that most find boring. Things are bound to improve in the coming months, but, nobody expects everything will be the same again.
Members of the Arya Samaj take out a peace rally in violence-hit Rohtak. PTI
Despite the fact that the caste system has a strong grip on rural Haryana, centuries of dwelling together had created a system that ensured peace was not disturbed. Barring occasional incidents, members of all communities lived peacefully. Even religion did not deter people from socialising. The elders from all communities commanded a certain respect and in times such as these their word carried weight. Though elections are hotly contested in Haryana, especially panchayat polls, peace is taken for granted. Such was the feeling of brotherhood called bhaichara colloquially that in times of need the village communities always acted as one unit. Just a month before the violent Jat stir, panchayat polls were conducted peacefully. This goes to prove that caste and community factors were never a potent cause of violence anywhere in the state till then. Or else there was no question of peaceful polls. Then, what is it that changed the scene merely weeks later?
The answer probably lies in the recent changes in prescribed educational qualifications for the panches and sarpanches. Those elected this time round were merely the luckier ones from amongst the qualified candidates. They won but they did not command respect from the village youth who took to looting and burning anything they saw as the protests turned violent. In the past, panches and sarpanches may not have been educated enough, but they certainly had enough weight in their word to stop the young from taking to violence. So, a proper mature leadership that could have prevented mayhem, was absent in the villages. We need to explore this further to ensure that in our quest for educated representatives we do not have an ineffective leadership on our hands.
Political parties need to rework their strategies and have a relook at their moral and ethical values. It is unfortunate that no political party of any hue has come out with its hands clean from this episode. The rebukes to the politicians of every party by the people of the violence-hit areas are a severe condemnation of their role in the agitation and the resulting violence. There is no denying the fact that all the opposition parties saw in this stir an opportunity to hit at the weak government led by Manohar Lal Khattar. Even in the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party, several leaders were initially as much interested in rocking the Khattar boat as the opposition leaders.
Leaders of all political parties played a role in propping up self-styled leaders of the various factions of the Jat community that were itching for a stir. None of these so-called leaders, including Hawa Singh Sangwan and Yahpal Malik, has any following in the Jat community. Minus the issue of reservation, they are absolutely irrelevant. But, Jat politicians extended them all help to launch the agitation.
Because of this covert support, the agitators were leaderless. Both Sangwan and Malik had receded to safer havens once the agitation got underway. They had no control over the protesters who were left fuming with their communal passions roused. The headless groups became violent in no time.
It is difficult to believe that the senior leaders of political parties are naïve enough not to have anticipated violence under these circumstances. Their plea that they never thought the violence will take a communal turn is equally incredulous. In short, all political parties and their leaders must share the blame for the violence that has left the society in tatters.
What bothers the common man in Haryana today is not how reservation for Jats will impact them, but, how to prevent the entire state from becoming another flashpoint like Muzzafarnagar. Even seasoned politicians agree that the divide between various communities is so dangerous that violence could recur at the slightest pretext. The distrust among communities in the rural areas could distrub the equilibrium. In the cities, a large number of violence-hit families, especially in Rohtak and Jhajjar, are bound to migrate to nearby Delhi in the months to come. This will create a panic among those who choose to stay.
These are areas of concern which the government, political parties and social organisations need to focus on in the future. Politicians in particular need to win over the confidence of the people afresh. As such they had low credibility which has been further eroded by the violence and their role in it.
Rohtak, Sonipat and Jhajjar areas have been under the influence of the Arya Samaj for decades in the past. Although this influence has waned in recent years, there is still no dearth of well-meaning figures in the area who can help remove doubts and fears among various communities and make Haryana a land of peace and harmony again.
The writer, a veteran Haryana journalist, worked with The Tribune for 30 years
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