Is space for dissent shrinking?

Despite the claims of being the world’s largest democracy, of late, we appear to be a dysfunctional democracy many a times. The spirit of pluralism is being violated when we clamp down on those whose opinions do not coincide with ours. A case in point is that of the young student of a Delhi college who voiced her concern at campus violence and the subsequent alleged threats she received. It is also disheartening and even deplorable that some leaders of the ruling party have also sought to stoke the fires. Instead of trying to allay the fears of the young student who faced grave threats to her personal safety for voicing her opinions, these leaders rose rather too quickly to condemn her. This included Ministers who, one assumes, are the thought leaders in the country. This is unfortunate. ALSO READ: Rani versus Rani in Amethi's battle royale Politics in college campuses is not a new phenomenon. We witness it every time the student union elections are held. Occasionally such campaigns have also turned violent. Let us not forget that student movements can be quite powerful in a large country like ours which has a demographic in favour of the younger population. They are hungry for results and they are hungry for jobs and of course, they are hungry for action against the corrupt and the intolerant. This energy and enthusiasm needs to be harnessed for the larger good of the country and not to let their objectives be politicized for poll benefits. Issues of students can’t just linger around nationalism as there’s lot more to focus at. I have never been an admirer of student politics. During my days of graduation in Shaheed Bhagat Singh College in Delhi, I could never relate to student leaders hovering around the campus gates. They were no less than cheerleaders of politicians who attempted to instill fear among students to show allegiance. None of the students unions made me look up to them. But at the same time, student power cannot be underestimated and the seeds of a revolution can be sown in the student movements worldwide. Social media, instead of playing a positive and proactive role in building healthy and constructive opinions to foster a spirit of nationalism, has been used by the fringe elements to instill fear and hate. If these fringe elements are allowed to flourish with the overt or covert support of the ruling political class, you are nurturing the saplings of a mass movement which can derail the democratic process. ALSO READ: In UP, there is no en bloc 'Muslim Vote' or 'Muslim Veto' The question one needs to ask today in the wake of the latest incidents in the national capital is whether the space is shrinking for an honest expression of one’s opinions. Are we stifling dissent and suffocating the free flow of ideas, discourse and thinking? Do all opinions have necessarily to be in consonance with a particular line of thinking propagated by any political party? One needs to do some serious thinking on this issue. It is also necessary that political leaders do not derive mileage out of what is essentially a democratic expression of one’s opinions. The writer works as a Senior Producer (Digital) with ABP News  Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and views expressed by the various authors and forum participants on this website are personal and do not reflect the opinions, beliefs and views of ABP News Network Pvt Ltd.