The Supreme Court on Monday is considering a "breach" in the security of the Prime Minister in Punjab. The BJP initially sought to use the issue for political gain in Punjab and other states preparing for elections. The Central Government and the Punjab Government ordered separate inquiries. Those investigations have been stayed by the Supreme Court. Matters that would come up for the probe would include questions like who made the decision for the Prime Minister to travel by two hours by road, what were the factors considered in the decision, , and why was it decided at the last minute that helicopter should not be used? Any errors in the decisions or coordination of the Prime Minister's Special Protection Group and the State Police will be investigated. In short, the country considers the security of the Prime Minister to be paramount. The person at the helm of the country deserves this consideration. It is necessary for the security of the country itself. That is why the country spends around Rs 600 crore every year on the security of a single person - the Prime Minister has about 3,000 security personnel. There is another side to this. The country spends so much attention and money on the security of the Prime Minister because the security of the country and its people should be his top priority in turn. The Constitution and the oath of office place a great deal of responsibility on the Prime Minister. It is his legal duty to ensure the welfare and security of his citizens.
That is why the Punjab incident should also draw attention to the safety of the citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's track record in providing safety and security to the people of the country does not give a positive picture. Two most recent things are an example. Modi, who was trapped for 20 minutes on a flyover in Punjab, returned from the state with a cryptic comment: "Thank you for sparing my life." But just before this, there were two incidents that threatened the lives and dignity of the citizens of the country. One is the calls for genocide in Haridwar and the forced swearing for committing genocide in Delhi. The Prime Minister has a responsibility to curb such dangerous tendencies. He should have been able to instill a sense of security in the citizens and take a stand against the aggressors. But he maintained a guilty silence. Despite many pointing out that the silence endangers the security of the people and encourages violence, Modi remained silent, deciding that the victims of communalism should not have security. A word from the Prime Minister condemning the calls for violence would have made serious impact. The second recent incident is the anti-woman posts spread through the infamous app 'Bulliboy'. Here too, Modi had an obligation to provide relief and justice to the victims, especially as the perpetrators were those with affinity to Modi's party. He deliberately remained silent. Modi, who did not utter a word on either of these issues, reacted immediately to the fallout from his own security. This is not the way of a good leader.
There have been statements from the Prime Minister on several occasions that could fuel sectarian violence. In a broader sense, if one were to conduct an audit on Modi's contributions to the safeguarding of his own citizens, the ouctome would not be one that will do him proud. It is doubtful whether there is anything called public security in Kashmir. The Citizenship Amendment Act has created a sense of insecurity and fear among millions of people. Unplanned demonetisation shuttered the livelihoods of the ordinary people; the economic security of the country was endangered. Needless to say, there has never been a time marked by such a lack of sense of security among the country's poor and minorities. It would be good if Modi, who expressed concern about his own security, occasionally thinks about the people of the country. The PM's security breach in Punjab sparked controversy in the country; then it would be desirable to discuss the security of the poor citizens from time to time - and to ensure their security too.