What Freedom of Speech means in today's Day and Age?

What Freedom of Speech means in today's Day and Age?

I believe that Freedom Speech and expression, especially to criticize and express sentiments and opinions about the government/party in power has been curbed in India in the current rightist government regime! Most people today including me are too afraid to speak out or criticize government policy due to fear of false charges slapped on them by the government or the trolling/ bullying/ threats on social media by the battery of staunch supporters of the party in power. Even while collecting my thoughts to write this article, I tried to choose my words very carefully to ensure that I do not aggregate anyone!

The free and fair discussion on any issues is the essence of democracy. However, in the Ultra-rightist Regime, any contrarian view or criticism of the Government policy/ action is branded as anti-national, even if its genuine concern! To illustrate with an eg- In Karnataka, a school head-teacher and student’s mother were booked on the charges of sedition after a play was staged by the students against the Citizenship Amendment Act, an controversial act passed by the current government. The police apparently questioned the young students of 7th standard for long hours and kept them in detention. The children’s interrogation continued even after the school’s headmistress and a student’s mother were arrested.

But the government isn’t the sole reason why one fears expressing their true opinion. It is the battery of the staunch supporters of the party (some of them probably encouraged and on rolls of the party in power) who are so heavily influenced by the party and their agendas. Needless to say, the majority of illiterate/ semi-literate/ poor voters are casting their votes on factors other than good governance, economic and social development. And are indoctrinated by the parties policies due to factors such as Religion (Hindutva), caste, freebies, distribution of money and liquor, use of muscle power and false propaganda around pseudo-nationalism

This distresses me being a fellow student myself. To relate or share a personal quip, my dad is a civil servant. Once I wanted to take part in a competition where I was required to prepare a speech that somewhat struck a chord with today’s government. My dad, after looking through my speech, asked me to word my points more subtly and cautiously, following which he persuaded me to drop out of the competition. Today, I am older and know how to pen down my words better. I am also within a social group where I feel secure to express my dissents and get to hear other concerns of critiques. But this is limited to a very small bloc of people and generally the fear still stands valid. I can cut through the tension that forms when politics is discussed to the lightest in my drawing room, classroom, parties and dinners or any other social gathering. We, including me, remain in fear of the reaction of the opposing viewers.

I am in fear of coming out about this evident lack of freedom of speech because on paper or on front India is one of the most liberal countries. India is giving its citizens the rights it promised to the fullest.

That’s what it says in our books and that’s what we’re taught in class. And this is used to immediately shut down any protest against violation of our right to speech. But it is time to pull back this curtain to be amoral or correct, and take a peek in behind the scenes. Are we in a free country if the citizens can’t question the government? If the govt. Arrests a comedian for barely joking about the grave reality of our present politics? If it detains mere 6th-7th graders for speaking and staging their views against an act passed by the current government? Where the citizens readily lynch other citizens in name of beef-eating, gau-hatya (killing of cows that are treated as a sacred animal by Hindus) preserving the name of the party they support?

Despite all that has been discussed above and the fact that a large populace, mainly intelligentsia, think and feel that the democratic values have been compromised greatly under current regime, the same party has been able to not only increase its vote share and seats in the Parliament in the back-to-back elections but has also won many legislative assemblies. Obviously, it means that the issues I raised above do not matter to a large population who cast votes in the elections. Needless to say, the majority of illiterate/ semi-literate/ poor voters are casting their votes on factors other than good governance, economic and social development. These factors are Religion (Hindutva), caste, freebies, distribution of money and liquor, use of muscle power and false propaganda around pseudo-nationalism etc. This has made me believe that Universal Adult Franchise as mode of election in democracies is also questionable

Yesterday, while discussing these views people said my views seemed elitist as if I were promoting class divide and it made me question the stand I was taking. But then I realized that's what's happening. Are my thoughts elitist. if the moral ground reality of our country is that our democracy is slowly crumbling and the majority our citizens, the most important gatekeepers of our democracy, are swayed and ready to turn their weapons towards one another because of ultra rightist beliefs. If I am just retelling the events of our country’s history, are my views elitist? I will leave it upto you to decide.