To Pub or Not to Pub?
Pub Culture – To be or not to be?
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The recent attack on the pub in Mangalore by right wing hooligans belonging to a little known group called Rama Sena has thrown up some significant questions that need to be addressed immediately.
The Rama Sena claims to be the self-proclaimed enforcement agency of Indian culture. They say it is not in keeping with the Indian culture for girls to have a couple of drinks in a pub. And, to enforce Indian culture, they not only beat up young boys and girls but also molested the girls. According to a Hindustan Times report, the girls were not only beaten up but their skirts and pants were pulled down. If drinking in a pub is not Indian culture, is molesting girls in public Indian culture?
The reins of Karnataka government are with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP however chose to distance itself from the incident saying it has no connection with the hooligans of Ram Sena, as it has done on earlier occasions when the situation became uncomfortable. It transpires now that the Ram Sena chief is a former member of Bajrang Dal.
In Karnataka, pubs are being attacked by right wing activists because they claim that it is against Indian culture. In Rajasthan, the BJP government headed by Vasundhara Raje was responsible for proliferation of pubs in the state. Can ideology be compromised for state revenue?
In the context of pub culture, someone raised a question: would you like to see your daughter? My rejoinder is: do you feel ashamed to see your son in the pub? This should answer the question. If you are ashamed to see your daughter in the pub, you should be equally ashamed to see your son there.
As far as this is concerned, the whole country is a divided house. Hours after the Karnataka chief minister announced that he would not allow pub culture in the state, his daughter told Indian Express that: “It’s for women to decide if they would like to visit pubs or any other public place, and that government, politicians or outfits like the Sri Rama Sene cannot restrict their movement.”
Mr. Chief Minister, please resolve the issue at home and set your home in order before you go public with such statements. Also, the chief minister parroting the sentiments of the Rama Sena raises doubts as to whether the hooligans have a tacit understanding with the state on this issue.
Even the Congress party is divided on this issue. While the Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is against pub culture, the Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit reposes confidence in our youth to decide what to do.
It is not for a handful of hooligans to decide what is right and what is wrong for our country. If wrong practices come to our notice, that should be decided by the collective conscience of the nation.
Nobody should be allowed to take the law in their hands on issues like that. When somebody takes the law in his hands, it means that he is not loyal to the Indian Constitution and the law of the land from where he draws his citizenship. We have the Police, the Legislature and the Judiciary to decide on such issues. As such, people who take the law into their hands should be treated as anti national elements and should be punished accordingly.
In the present case, the police has made some arrests. But, the Rama Sena claims that they acted on the request of some local people when they attacked the pub. It is important to arrest them and ask them to explain why they went to Rama Sena when we have the Police, the Legislature and the Judiciary to deal with such issues.
