Ram Puniyani
The formation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and the protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar is too well known by now. The torture of youth, lathi-charge by uniformed police and doubtful elements, the use of pellet guns and even AK-47 was totally against the norms of democratic values.
The other side of the protest was youth singing and dancing, making posters collectively, laughing and singing, reminding one of Karl Marx’s famous adage, ‘Revolution is the festival of the masses’, though the degree and context of the Jantar Mantar protest and many other protests all over the country were totally different.
The autocratic government, which is totally unresponsive to the valid cry of the people, buckled after a long time, as the pattern of protest was picking up city after city. The inhibitions imposed by the dictatorial stance of the government was melting into thin air. Earlier, we have seen the same government was impervious to the farmers’ protests lasting as long as over 12 months and withdrawn only after the laws were rolled back when elections were to be held. The government has encouraged troublesome elements to disrupt the Shaheen Bagh movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA. The prolonged voices against exam leaks were totally ignored.
This time the matters were different. The government tried to look the other way but could not and had to accept the demands, the key among which was the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He has been replaced by Pralhad Joshi. who again belongs to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS background. His persona can be judged from his approval of the release of rapists of Bilkis Bano
Now, a committee has been formed to look into the leak of examination papers, and the committee interestingly includes the likes of those who “specialise in cow urine”, as per Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, and some others who don’t know the alpha and omega of the education system.
While currently the student leaders are struggling to ensure that the government fulfils its written assurance, we also need to understand the ‘success’ of this student uprising. It is nowhere close to the student uprising in France in 1968, or the happenings of our neighbouring countries -- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Nepal. But it has contributed a lot in changing the perceptions created by the IT and media cell of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ‘Godi Media’ and the word-of-mouth propaganda by RSS through its shakhas and hundreds of schools and other subordinate organisations. The sense of fearlessness in speaking against the government is likely to return gradually.
While the CJP and its leader Abhijeet Dipke acted as the precipitating factor of this protest, the ground for it had been in the making over the past many years. Rising unemployment, the rising cost of living and destitution had been the base on which all this stood. While falling indices of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, hunger index, happiness index are dismissed by the ruling dispensation, they do reflect the worsening social situation in the real sense.
While the mainstream media has reversed its role to be the eulogiser of rulers and critics of the Opposition, the collapse of this Fourth Estate was reflected when the youth hooted at journalists from Godi Media. Though this should not have happened, it does reflect the image of Godi Media among the youth, as it has deserted its role and has become the handmaiden of the rulers.
The spirit of the protesting youth was very much on display and very heartening, as it tried to lift some embargos on democratic freedoms.
Has the protest achieved its goals in total? Depends on what we see the totality as. The change of the Education Minister, though significant in smashing the ego of our ‘non-biological’ ruler, will not change the situation much, as Tweedledum has been replaced by Tweedledee. The core cause of the exam paper leaks -- corruption in the society -- has not been ended in any way, which can be curtailed only by making the system more transparent and accessible to society’s audit.
On the issue of corruption, though RSS did plan the Anna Hazare movement, leading to formation of the Aam Aadmi Party, to undermine the United Progressive Alliance-led Congress (which was then in power), the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance never made any move toward eradicating corruption. Neither was it an issue of concern for the ruling government. Heavy investment in some roads and bridges have been washed away, as these structures built by the BJP government, were probably riddled with heavy corruption.
One has to concede that a large amount of the ground for success, to whatever extent, was also prepared by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s multiple meetings exposing the government's callous attitude toward social issues.
One is not yet sure if communal polarisation created by RSS-BJP has become weaker due to the impact of the July Jantar Mantar sit-in protest. The problems that have seeped into the system need to be tackled in a broader sense.
Can this movement, in the long term, remain away from electoral politics and pick up the core issue of communal forces, derailing the national agenda of peace and progress? The ‘idea of India’, as visualised by the freedom movement and embodied in our Constitution, has been cleverly by-passed to push the country toward Hindu Rashtra. The issues of building the nation have been substituted by demolishing mosques and universities. The State has gradually been infiltrated by those who have taken the divisive training of RSS shakhas, or are fed by the Godi Media and social media, popularly called ‘WhatsApp University.’
The students’ sit-in protest came as a breath of fresh air. What is still needed is that the youth march continues to bring us back as Indian citizens, rather than as Hindus or Muslims. This country belongs to the people, to all the people, while communal politics asserts Hindu Rashtra based on Manu Smriti. Their agenda is to impose Brahminical values with the relegation of Muslims, Christians, Adivasis, Dalits, Workers and women to second grade citizens.
One is enjoying the high spirits and pleasantness spread by this youth dharna. But, to presume that it has totally achieved its goals, will be self-defeating. Till we can contain, if not totally defeat, the communal forces, we will be inflicted one after the other by injustice from the ruling dispensation. We should hail and salute the youth/students and hope the bigger challenges of indirect attacks on our Constitution will be taken up in due course.
The author is a former Professor of Biomedical Engineering at IIT Bombay and writes on political and social issues. The views expressed are personal.
The other side of the protest was youth singing and dancing, making posters collectively, laughing and singing, reminding one of Karl Marx’s famous adage, ‘Revolution is the festival of the masses’, though the degree and context of the Jantar Mantar protest and many other protests all over the country were totally different.
The autocratic government, which is totally unresponsive to the valid cry of the people, buckled after a long time, as the pattern of protest was picking up city after city. The inhibitions imposed by the dictatorial stance of the government was melting into thin air. Earlier, we have seen the same government was impervious to the farmers’ protests lasting as long as over 12 months and withdrawn only after the laws were rolled back when elections were to be held. The government has encouraged troublesome elements to disrupt the Shaheen Bagh movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA. The prolonged voices against exam leaks were totally ignored.
This time the matters were different. The government tried to look the other way but could not and had to accept the demands, the key among which was the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He has been replaced by Pralhad Joshi. who again belongs to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS background. His persona can be judged from his approval of the release of rapists of Bilkis Bano
Now, a committee has been formed to look into the leak of examination papers, and the committee interestingly includes the likes of those who “specialise in cow urine”, as per Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, and some others who don’t know the alpha and omega of the education system.
While currently the student leaders are struggling to ensure that the government fulfils its written assurance, we also need to understand the ‘success’ of this student uprising. It is nowhere close to the student uprising in France in 1968, or the happenings of our neighbouring countries -- Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or Nepal. But it has contributed a lot in changing the perceptions created by the IT and media cell of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ‘Godi Media’ and the word-of-mouth propaganda by RSS through its shakhas and hundreds of schools and other subordinate organisations. The sense of fearlessness in speaking against the government is likely to return gradually.
While the CJP and its leader Abhijeet Dipke acted as the precipitating factor of this protest, the ground for it had been in the making over the past many years. Rising unemployment, the rising cost of living and destitution had been the base on which all this stood. While falling indices of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, hunger index, happiness index are dismissed by the ruling dispensation, they do reflect the worsening social situation in the real sense.
While the mainstream media has reversed its role to be the eulogiser of rulers and critics of the Opposition, the collapse of this Fourth Estate was reflected when the youth hooted at journalists from Godi Media. Though this should not have happened, it does reflect the image of Godi Media among the youth, as it has deserted its role and has become the handmaiden of the rulers.
The spirit of the protesting youth was very much on display and very heartening, as it tried to lift some embargos on democratic freedoms.
Has the protest achieved its goals in total? Depends on what we see the totality as. The change of the Education Minister, though significant in smashing the ego of our ‘non-biological’ ruler, will not change the situation much, as Tweedledum has been replaced by Tweedledee. The core cause of the exam paper leaks -- corruption in the society -- has not been ended in any way, which can be curtailed only by making the system more transparent and accessible to society’s audit.
On the issue of corruption, though RSS did plan the Anna Hazare movement, leading to formation of the Aam Aadmi Party, to undermine the United Progressive Alliance-led Congress (which was then in power), the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance never made any move toward eradicating corruption. Neither was it an issue of concern for the ruling government. Heavy investment in some roads and bridges have been washed away, as these structures built by the BJP government, were probably riddled with heavy corruption.
One has to concede that a large amount of the ground for success, to whatever extent, was also prepared by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s multiple meetings exposing the government's callous attitude toward social issues.
One is not yet sure if communal polarisation created by RSS-BJP has become weaker due to the impact of the July Jantar Mantar sit-in protest. The problems that have seeped into the system need to be tackled in a broader sense.
Can this movement, in the long term, remain away from electoral politics and pick up the core issue of communal forces, derailing the national agenda of peace and progress? The ‘idea of India’, as visualised by the freedom movement and embodied in our Constitution, has been cleverly by-passed to push the country toward Hindu Rashtra. The issues of building the nation have been substituted by demolishing mosques and universities. The State has gradually been infiltrated by those who have taken the divisive training of RSS shakhas, or are fed by the Godi Media and social media, popularly called ‘WhatsApp University.’
The students’ sit-in protest came as a breath of fresh air. What is still needed is that the youth march continues to bring us back as Indian citizens, rather than as Hindus or Muslims. This country belongs to the people, to all the people, while communal politics asserts Hindu Rashtra based on Manu Smriti. Their agenda is to impose Brahminical values with the relegation of Muslims, Christians, Adivasis, Dalits, Workers and women to second grade citizens.
One is enjoying the high spirits and pleasantness spread by this youth dharna. But, to presume that it has totally achieved its goals, will be self-defeating. Till we can contain, if not totally defeat, the communal forces, we will be inflicted one after the other by injustice from the ruling dispensation. We should hail and salute the youth/students and hope the bigger challenges of indirect attacks on our Constitution will be taken up in due course.
The author is a former Professor of Biomedical Engineering at IIT Bombay and writes on political and social issues. The views expressed are personal.
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