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I had gone to Kunda (Pratapgarh) a few years back to cover assembly elections. The candidate was none other than Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya whose bloodcurdling tales had all lips sealed those days. This was prior to Mayawati finding skeletons in the pond behind his mansion. I quietly asked about the much talked about crocodiles. Raja laughed. I asked him about his terror. He frowned and told me to accompany him to one of his public rally to know the affection his voters had for him.

We drove down to the venue, not far from his mansion. There was frenzy all around — some shouted zindabad, others muscled their way to garland him. Suddenly, I heard a volley of gunshots right from behind. I was too scared. I was about to run away when the heavy-built guy from behind said, “Don’t worry, its just a salute to our Raja.” I looked back and saw dozens of them with guns in their hands.

Thus when a few days later late Ajit Singh, an MLC with a criminal record, walked into my cabin in my office with his gun-totting supporters, I couldn’t stop myself from telling him that they unnecessarily created scare among kids when they moved with arms in public places. He agreed that he would tell his supporters not to flaunt their arms in market areas, while at the same time emphasizing on their need to carry arms, flaunt them too.

“We make so many enemies in our public life. This is for our security.” Arms have become a status symbol in Hindi heartland. There are reports that arms licences are issued or withdrawn to punish or reward supporters. Like I read in a newspaper on how Madhya Pradesh Government was rewarding people who went for vasectomy and cancelling licences of those who failed to clear their electricity dues. So what’s new when the BJP workers offered 101-gun salute to the party’s newly appointed general secretary?

In UP and Bihar also the clamour for gun licences is widespread. During Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tenure, public representatives submitted maximum applications for guns licences or even arms shop. Mayawati also took up the Dalit arms-empowerment seriously.

I have not seen such a display of gun power in Western or in South India. It’s high time the UPA government did something to ban illegal display of arms in public. We can’t expect Mayawati, Mulayam, Lalu, Nitish, and Raman Singh and the likes to ban such brazen display by their workers or leaders. After all much of the power that they wield comes from that barrel of the gun!

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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