Caravan Editor Hartosh Singh Bal, speaking at the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum’s event on Saturday, declared that the incumbent NDA Government is “unconstitutional”. While Hartosh Singh Bal did not elaborate on the reasons in any significant manner, the verdict appears to be largely based on ’emotions’ and ‘feelings’.
According to the Caravan Editor, the Government is “unconstitutional” even though it was elected democratically. Apparently, the Government is “outside the spirit of the constitution.”
Hartosh Singh Bal: Just because a government happens to be democratically elected, doesn’t make it constitutional. I frankly consider this government virtually unconstitutional, lying outside the spirit of the constitution. #Constitution
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) November 27, 2021
Such declarations obviously carry dangerous implications. If a Government is unconstitutional and illegitimate, then the use of violence to remove it is justified. It is the logic that is regularly used by liberals to justify political violence. For instance, in the United States of America, liberals attempted to normalise ‘punching a Nazi’. A ‘Nazi’ was obviously any supporter of Donald Trump, which effectively meant any Republican.
Bal uses a similar tactic here, attempting to brand the NDA Government unconstitutional so that more and more drastic measures can be used to remove it from power. Such a mentality is also why Trinamool Congress has been able to persecute its political opponents with impunity without any condemnation from the mainstream media.
Social media did not receive his comments too kindly either. They slammed Hartosh Singh Bal for undermining the legitimacy of a government elected by the citizens of the country.
Who cares what you consider as constitutional and unconstitutional? If 303 seats can’t convince you constitutionality, nothing can. https://t.co/AhL1u5hAQz
— Aishwarya Mudgil (@AishwaryakiRai) November 27, 2021
Classic Liberal Fascism. मेरे पसंद की गोरमिंट लोगों ने चुनी नही इसलिए डेमाक्रसी कैंसिल । https://t.co/6jVWOA3AZ4
— iMac_too (@iMac_too) November 27, 2021
Next time,the Democratically elected representatives must get Hartosh Bal’s affirmation to make them Constitutional.. https://t.co/lm5ONC3nre
— Debojyoti Dasgupta (@tisDev) November 27, 2021
Bal’s bigotry is well documented. A few years ago, in 2017, Hartosh Singh Bal had said that Article 35A should be removed but ‘Twitter Brahmins’ should be left there without state security. Since then, Article 370 has been removed and this year, we have seen targeted attacks against the civilian population in Kashmir, something that Bal appears to have hoped for in 2017.
Bal also spoke on the role of the media. He said, “As a nation becomes surer of itself, the role of the media must become of questioning the government.” Unsurprisingly, the digital platform he is associated with has a history of spreading malicious fake news.
The Caravab had claimed that Republic Day rioter Navreet Singh had died due a bullet fired by the Delhi Police but it was later confirmed by a panel of doctors that he did not die due to a bullet. The rioter had died after a tractor had overturned, killing him in the process.
Another Caravan editor Vinod K Jose had falsely claimed that Coronavirus tests are not free in India. Thus, quite clearly, the digital platform Bal is associated with has a terrible relationship with truth. Frustrated with the electoral dominance of the BJP, he appears to have tasted blood with the repeal of the farm laws. Continuing in his trajectory, he has decided to declare the government itself as unconstitutional.
