The gang of 272 may be a sign of continuing (reverse) evolution

Mutations in any species are part of natural evolution and essential to its survival, according to accepted Darwinian theory. Recent research has revealed that the Neanderthals did not go extinct 30,000 years ago (as was assumed) but assimilated into Homo Sapiens by inter-breeding.

In other words, we still have the Neanderthalensis among us, most probably in the civil services and the uniformed forces. Which is not a bad thing in itself, for they were the ultimate survivors and ruled the planet for 350,000 years. But a recent event in India shows that they are evolving again, into a sub-species of Homo Sapiens called 'homo supines', to further their chances of survival.

So far, this mutation has been noticed in 272 retired officers of the civil services, higher judiciary and armed forces, and has manifested itself in a letter they have written to Lok Sabha LOP (Leader of Opposition) Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of being anti-national, a supporter of illegal migrants and a destroyer of the nation’s Constitution.

They have castigated him for asking questions of the Election Commission, forgetting that the LOP’s job (and indeed the Opposition’s) is to interrogate the government of the day.

They also appear to have missed the fact that at least three past chief election commissioners/ commissioner have expressed similar doubts about the EC’s functioning and have demanded that the CEC inquire into the charges made by the LOP and reveal the truth to the public. They have also shared, publicly, their reservations about the opaque manner in which the SIR is being carried out — and its timing. The language of the letter, too, is uncivil, at times uncouth, abusive and wholly improper.

This distinct group of hominids has been given the name G-272 (Gang of 272) by scientists, and has become an object of intense study because it has been revealed that, in a first for vertebrates, they have lost all their vertebrae within the short span of just 70–80 years. Palaeontologists have concluded that this may ensure their longer survival in a hostile environment because it enables them to bend backwards, grovel, crawl and tie themselves into knots without feeling any embarrassment.

On the merits of the letter itself, however, I find the number 272 interesting, for this is the precise number which constitutes a majority in the Lok Sabha. Was this just a coincidence, or indicative of the fact that — apart from their vertebrae — 'homo supines' is also losing its cognitive ability? Did they think that this number would also constitute a majority in their sub-species, entitling them to speak for their colleagues and thus carry the day, as it were? If so, they were wrong, as subsequent events have proved.

For not one other member of the sub-species has come out in their support: not homo militaris, homo judiciaris, or even homo bureaucratis. Instead, a closer examination of the G-272 under a microscope (a standard procedure for all dangerous bacteria and microbes) has revealed some interesting details about these pathogens, which must be shared in the larger interest of providing immunity to the parent species.

Why have these worthy gentlemen and ladies crawled out of the woodwork now? They have been conspicuously silent all these years on visceral issues that pose to the nation a far greater threat than Rahul Gandhi’s questions to the Election Commission — mob lynchings, bulldozer injustice, the judicial distortion of the Places of Worship Act, the subservience of the Election Commission, sudden changes in rules relating to the appointment of Election Commissioners and the release of CCTV footage of polling, Pegasus, the dismantling of environmental protection laws and rules, the regular failures of intelligence agencies, the weakening of the federal structure, misuse of Governors, India’s international isolation, stagnating growth rates, the burning of Manipur, to mention just a few.

Why are they baying in chorus now, in choreographed unison? The whole sacerdotal act looks suspiciously like a command performance to me, and it is not difficult to figure out where the command came from.

But they have made a big mistake, for they have exposed themselves badly. Like bacteria on a petri dish under a microscope, they are now open to public glare and scrutiny. Social media and various YouTube channels are revealing their antecedents and not-so-glorious past, and it is a veritable rogues’ gallery.

A large number of the signatories, as per these reports, have in the past been accused of corruption and amassing disproportionate assets during their service period, and cases are still ongoing against a few of them. Some channels have reported that one ambassador has acquired notoriety for posting lewd and obscene comments about young girls on his X account.

Dozens of them are reportedly members of the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, RSS and ideologically allied organisations; quite a few have been given post-retirement sinecures by the present regime. Many are regular invitees on the 'panel discussions' of the godi TV channels, invited simply to project the ruling party’s views. Not surprisingly, therefore, like maggots exposed to the disinfectant of sunlight, many of them have now curled up and shut down their social media accounts to escape further scrutiny.

What should be of particular concern to the saner elements of civil society, however, is the large number of defence-services officers among the signatories — about 130 of them. For unlike the bureaucracy, and even the judiciary, the armed forces have always maintained a respectful but well-defined distance from the politics and politicians of this country, showing neither favour nor animosity to any individual or group.

That tradition now appears to be fraying under the onslaught of the communal, ultra-nationalist and triumphal forces that rule these days. But it is significant that no other defence persona of any note has come out in support of this letter; we can take heart from that, and believe that the rot has not spread too far. For if it does, it will be a sad day for an institution that has stood tall, non-sectarian and steadfast even when this country was being partitioned.

These 'un-civil society' specimens have no credibility, are self-declared sycophants with no collective conscience or principles, and are clearly trying to ingratiate themselves with the ruling dispensation for their own purposes. Their letter should be allowed to sink like a stone to the bottom of the cesspool.

Avay Shukla is a retired IAS officer and author of Holy Cows and Loose Cannons — the Duffer Zone Chronicles and other works. He blogs at avayshukla.blogspot.com