The Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav is not the first patriarch to come out with a blustering statement on an issue that had engaged the nation’s jurists after the December 16, 2012 Nirbhaya rape case. Nirbhaya was raped and then brutally attacked by sadists who now plead for mercy. In a society where patriarchy is so strongly embedded in the psyche of the average male, statements like Yadav’s are not surprising. They only reflect a medieval mindset which neither the 21st century discourses or stern action by the Supreme Court against rapists can change. But as columnist Shobha De says, Mulayam may be one of the millions who think like him but who don’t articulate their thoughts. The very fact that the Khap Panchayat, a male-centric institution that takes decisions which are nearly always adversarial to the woman, continue to function despite the progressive pronouncements of the Indian Constitution, tells us that India is not a modern democratic state. For the sake of vote bank politics traditions that go counter to the democratic ethos are being perpetuated in pockets of northern and eastern India. How long these sorts of traditional institutions will be allowed to operate and hinder the country’s progress remains to be seen.
In India we are pro-occupied with politics, yet politics has done us no good. People want change and the youth are impatient at the pace of progress but we have leaders like Mulayam who pull us back to the dark ages. This dichotomy between the demands of the modern age and the propensity to slip back into the decadent practices of the past needs to be resolved sooner than later. It is appropriate for women’s groups across the country to decry such malevolent statements because if they don’t then Mulayam’s wisecrack about “boys will be boys hence their sexual perversions should be excused,” will only resonate with those having a similar mindset as the former UP wrestler.
It is indeed tragic that 21st century India continues to be ruled by decrepit minds that delight in suppressing women’s voices. Mulayam and his ilk hinder progress and prevent women from being equal citizens by refusing to provide them the platforms they need to take on political and social responsibilities. Such so-called leaders exacerbate the gender discrimination and perpetuate patriarchal biases by making light of a serious crime like rape. Such people do not deserve to lead this nation or even the State of Uttar Pradesh. No wonder the crime graph in UP has just spiralled.