Uttarakhand CM on “ripped jeans” Hypocrisy of ‘Secular-Liberal’ intelligentsia — Amba Charan Vashishth The ‘secular-liberal’ individuals, groups and intelligentsia has instantly run after the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat for committing the ‘crime’ of criticizing women for wearing ripped jeans and wondering what values they will impart to their children. Political parties and some organizations have run riots against these words of the chief minister. Speaking at an event on March 16, 2021 Mr. Rawat is reported to have said that due to a lack of values, youngsters today are following strange fashion trends and consider themselves to be big shots after wearing jeans ripped at the knees. Women also follow such trends. These’ ‘holy’ critics cry hoarse when some individual or organization is condemned or hauled up under the law for shouting slogans like “India murdabad”, “Pakistan zindabad” and “India ho barbad” slogans. This, they claim, is the ‘constitutional’ right to opinion and expression of these people and organizations in the democracy we have in the country. They also deride the rising sense of “intolerance” in the country, particular since the people of India returned the present BJP-led NDA under Mr. Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister with a comfortable majority. These men of great conscience also need to explain whether this is their display of sense of ‘tolerance’? These howlers also owe a duty to enlighten the people of India whether an individual, like Mr. Tirath Singh Rawat, who also happens to be a chief minister of a State in India, have no “constitutional right” to their opinion and to express it? Is this “constitutional right” the exclusive domain of terrorists and tuked-tukde gang to the exclusion of all others who love their country and abide by law of the land? It also needs to be noted that Mr. Rawat had just expressed his opinion. He had neither issued any diktat to ban wearing of “ripped jeans” nor declared that his government will ban it. It is time the “secular-liberal” people inculcate a sense patience to understand the words and meaning of such utterances before pouncing upon condemning such opinion of others. ***