A defence of the indefensible? |
Connoisseurs of humour know that all genuine humour is underlaid with wisdom, which provides the actual punch. And so it was that, when I read the recent open letter issued by 124 retired civil servants defending Gyanesh Kumar and his nefarious doings, I was reminded of the sage words of Maurice Switzer: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."
I was not surprised by this epistle, however, for my WhatsApp groups have a dense population of such bureaucrats, closet members of Mr Modi's tribe. What did surprise me, however, is that, for once, they chose to speak out (on the wrong side of history, yes, but they did come out of their burrows), because such people are more comfortable in the security of the woodwork and like to hedge their bets.
They do not rock boats, they never take a stand, they always worship the rising sun, and they know which side of their bread is buttered. I suspect they were persuaded to say 'aye' by Mr Modi's gentle persuaders — a few crumbs, loaves and charge-sheets might have been traded — to sign on the dotted lines (not difficult, for it is something they have done for most of their careers).
A word about the signatories to the letter would not be out of place. Most of them are faceless wonders, which is as it should be, since their faces have egg, if not worse, all over them by now. A couple have been accused of embezzlement and corruption; one displayed his bigotry and misogyny brazenly at an event in a ladies' college some time back; yet another, now a chancellor of a Central university, has been an acolyte of the BJP for a long time; some are working with right-wing organisations like the Vivekanand Foundation and ORG; one is on record as stating that he has issued orders under political pressure!
Not exactly the kind of 'concerned' citizens who can be trusted to comment objectively on the doings of this regime and its puppets like the Election Commission. In short, their........