Present govt more draconian than during Emergency: Advani

BJP leader LK Advani has lashed out at the ‘draconian’ political set up in India, saying that the arrest of Mumbai cartoonist Aseem Trivedi showed that the political situation was even worse than the situation that prevailed during Emergency under Indira Gandhi. “Seeing what has happened to political cartoonist and anti-corruption crusader Aseem Trivedi, I have started wondering: Is today’s political set up worse even than the Emergency? Aseem Trivedi has been arrested, and charged with sedition, an offence punishable with life imprisonment!”, Advani wrote in his personal blog. [caption id=“attachment_452501” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] The blog went on to add that this situation was even worse than during the political environment of the Emergency when prominent cartoonist Abu Abraham had published two sharply critical cartoons, including one which depicted the President signing over emergency powers to the government while sitting in a bath tub. “If the present political regime had been in office in 1975-77, I have no doubt that like Aseem Trivedi, Abu Abraham also would have been behind bars!”, he said. Advani went on to add that emergency had armed the government with extraordinary powers, but said that “the draconian mindset of the present rulers is born out of failure and desperation”. The BJP leader also quoted from his experience during Emergency and why cartoonists often felt the brunt of the government’s inability to tolerate humour. Advani joins a long list of persons who have come out in support of the cartoonist, who was arrested on 8 September. There has been massive outcry over Trivedi’s arrest in Mumbai, with political and civil society leaders decrying him being charged with sedition, and what has been seen as yet another instance of the government trying to crack down on free speech. Since then, the police have stated that they did not require Trivedi’s custody any longer, while reports emerged that the sedition charges against him would be dropped. The cartoonist was granted bail on Tuesday by the Bombay High Court and his associate said he will walk out of the Arthur Road jail today. Trivedi will come out of jail at around 3 pm this afternoon, India Against Corruption (IAC) member Mayank Gandhi told reporters outside the prison after meeting Trivedi. Gandhi, who met the cartoonist in the jail, said the prison authorities have received the court order related to bail. The Kanpur-based artist was initially reluctant to come out of jail unless all charges levelled against him are dropped, the IAC member said. However, since State Home Minister RR Patil has promised to get the sedition charge dropped and to show respect to the court Trivedi has decided to come out of jail.