Asaram, Akbaruddin and Free Speech OR another Congress-play?

Asumal Sirumal, or Asaram Bapu as you 'fondly' know him, is a part of the sexist, feudal and beguiling past that we need to leave behind. But the real issue isn’t them uttering nonsense. It is what gives people, like him and Akbaruddin Owaisi, the nerve to say what they say. It is all those thousands of supporters who jump to their defense when someone questions the weird pronouncements of these people. The sad human need to obey and follow has found willing exploiters in this nation.

                                

Asaram and Akbaruddin should be allowed to speak their mind. If their words are termed as criminal in nature, well the law will be nothing different from the Middle-East. Punishing those who push unpleasant ideas and violent thoughts under the rug does not solve problems. It is vital to know what people are thinking, and where the thoughts are coming from, to attempt a course correction when needed.

                               

Asaram’s comments also revealed the mindset problem in women such as his vociferous spokeswoman, Neelam Dubey. She was astonishingly insensitive to the burning issue of safety of women and tried to justify his comments diplomatically. Sadly, she represents many Indian women who are under the sway of / or are wary of such men as Asaram, and fervently believe whatever insipid speech they are fed with; for example, that women are responsible for inviting rape and sexual assault upon themselves. When dealing with such deep-rooted and complex social problems, freedom of speech is of most importance. We should encourage everyone to have their say so we can take a deep and hard look at what ails Indian society, and make the necessary changes toward being a progressive country that values and respects all citizens equally.

The people of our nation are over-looking another matter. The wildfire spread of the Protest against Delhi-Rape made Congress sit up. People aren't understanding that Congress might be doing this to suppress the big fire that rocked the nation. First the death of a constable, the speech of President's son, then the beheading of Indian Jawaans, the nonsense speech of Asaram and hate-speech of Akbaruddin. All these events have led to a suppression of the movement that had the whole nation united. Well done, Congress. Create one issue to suppress another. That's politics for you.

Well played, Sonia 'ji'

Can't we rise above these ordinary instincts even for a moment? How many scandals and years later would we evolve?