In a democracy, elected representatives of the people are supposed to reflect the views of those who vote them to power. Politicians are there in parliament to reflect the views of society. They are not supposed to push forward the narrow interests of the political class. But this is precisely what the defence minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, is doing when he makes the declaration that henceforward the Brigade Parade Grounds in Calcutta will be made available to all political parties for holding rallies. This permission will be given by the army, presumably at the behest of the defence ministry, in exchange for a sum of money. Mr Mukherjee is obviously out of tune with the mood of Calcutta society which has a claim on the Maidan. The latter is the biggest expanse of green in the heart of the city. It is an environmental treasure. Political rallies destroy the greenery and defeat the principal purpose of the Maidan. It is significant that Mr Mukherjee offered no explanation for sacrificing a part of the Maidan to the populist needs of a political party. The chief minister of West Bengal, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, also announced his support for rallies in the Brigade Parade Grounds. He said that men like Jawaharlal Nehru had held rallies in the same location. This argument is breathtakingly specious.

Precedence is not a right; it does not even establish a claim. During the days of Nehru, awareness about preserving the environment was not one of the important concerns of society. This concern has recently acquired a new urgency as more and more people have recognized the fact that devastation of the environment endangers life. Indeed, it can be asserted that, given Nehru?s sensibilities, he, had he been alive today, would have been a champion of the environment and would have opposed rallies in the Maidan. Both Mr Mukherjee and Mr Bhattacharjee are refusing to look at the matter outside the demands of the political parties they represent. They are thus failing in their duty to society. It was public awareness about preserving the Maidan that made the high court in Calcutta take notice of the state of the green patch and then to impose strictures on holding fairs and rallies. Politicians are riding roughshod over the concerns of society. This has an ominous ring to it. If politicians begin to take the people and their interests for granted, they threaten the core of democracy.