VIOLENCE AND QUESTIONS OF DECORUM AMIDST THE CHANGE OF POWER IN BENGAL: DEVANAND SINGH

VIOLENCE AND QUESTIONS OF DECORUM AMIDST THE CHANGE OF POWER IN BENGAL: DEVANAND SINGH

8-MAY-ENG 40

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------The political circumstances that have emerged in West Bengal following the election results have once again raised the question: has democracy been reduced merely to a means of acquiring power, or do its inherent decorum and constitutional values ​​still hold any significance? On one hand, incidents of violence, murder, road blockades, and political clashes are surfacing in the wake of the change of power; on the other, the ongoing rhetoric surrounding the Chief Minister's post is sparking a debate regarding democratic traditions.

The murder of Chandranath Rath—the Personal Assistant to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari—has further heightened the tension in the political atmosphere. Protests by BJP workers outside the hospital, the allegations leveled against the TMC, and the unrest witnessed in several areas—including Howrah—have fueled a sense of fear and insecurity among the general public. If the aftermath of an election is marked by bloodshed on the streets and a politics of vendetta, it would be regarded as the greatest stain upon democracy.

Meanwhile, a commentary by poet and orator Kumar Vishwas has lent an ideological dimension to the entire sequence of events. He asserted that democracy is not merely a game of winning and losing, but is also synonymous with decorum, tradition, and constitutional processes. His statement came at a time when Mamata Banerjee, despite facing electoral defeat, refused to relinquish the office of Chief Minister. Kumar Vishwas also acknowledged that while Mamata Banerjee forged her political identity through struggle, over time, the "mathematics of power" has come to dominate politics, displacing the primacy of ideology.

The people of Bengal have signaled a desire for change; however, the greatest challenge facing the new dispensation is to ensure that this change is not confined merely to a change of government, but also brings about a transformation in the political culture itself. If the cycle of opportunistic politics and violence persists, democracy will be weakened, and public trust will be eroded.

In a democracy, the right to dissent exists, but the right to violence does not. Accepting both victory and defeat with dignity is the true hallmark of democratic maturity. Today, Bengal requires not political vendetta, but rather peace, sensitivity, and democratic decorum. For ultimately, power may change hands, but the dignity of democracy must remain intact.