Reacting to the nationwide protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act and the police crackdown on students, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha tweeted: “This is the 1974 moment of Modi Sarkar. The beginning of the end.”
Sinha was obviously referring to the powerful people’s movement of the early seventies, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, which culminated in the declaration of a national emergency by Indira Gandhi.
Opposition leaders, activists and journalists were then thrown into jail, press censorship imposed and the police and official machinery given a free hand in reining in the government’s critics by means more foul than fair. The people suffered in silence during the Emergency, but they got their revenge when they used the one weapon they have to express their disenchantment with a regime: their vote. In a peaceful and democratic exercise, they voted out Indira Gandhi when she made the fatal mistake of calling for a national election.
The manner in which the police entered the Jamia and Aligarh Muslim University campuses and beat up students, the detention of peaceful protesters, suspension of internet services, curtailment of Metro services in Delhi, and sealing of borders with neighbouring states were all an eerie reminder of the Emergency days.
As protests against the new citizenship law gather momentum, continuing to draw in students, activists and ordinary citizens, the big question is, whether this movement will indeed mark the “beginning of the end” of the Modi government, as predicted by BJP rebel leader Yashwant Sinha. And, more importantly, can this movement be sustained in the face of police action, and a categorical assertion by tough-talking home minister Amit Shah that there will be no going back on the implementation of the CAA, giving citizenship rights to persecuted minorities (excluding Muslims) from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Shah’s confidence stems from the belief that these demonstrations are isolated incidents, confined to a small number of universities, and do not enjoy the backing of a large number of ordinary citizens.
There is no doubt that the nationwide protests have the potential to grow into another anti-corruption movement, fronted by Gandhian Anna Hazare, which proved to be a major contributor in bringing down the Manmohan Singh government. The difference is that the protests this time are far too disparate, and are leaderless. With political parties losing all credibility, the movement needs a face like a Jayaprakash Narayan or an Anna Hazare -- someone who has credibility and can connect with the people. It also needs an overarching committee, which can plan and strategise, so that the movement does not peter out, as the Modi government is in power for another four-and-a-half-years.
It is well-known that though Anna Hazare was the face of the anti-corruption movement, it was Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav who ran the show from behind the scenes, with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh providing help in the form of resources and crowd mobilisation. Today, the protesters are dealing with a government that will only be too happy if this agitation is converted into a Hindu vs Muslim battle, as any such development will only help the BJP. And that is precisely what the protesters have to guard against.
If students, activists and ordinary citizens have spoken up, it is of their own accord. They have got little help from the political class. West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee is the only political leader who is single-handedly taking on the might of the Modi government. The firebrand leader, who revels in such situations, has come into her own as she leads massive rallies in her home state and fires daily salvos at the Modi-Shah duo.
Undoubtedly, opposition parties put up a spirited fight against the new citizenship law in Parliament, followed it up with a joint press conference and submitted a memorandum to the President. But there has been no effort to put up a united fight against this contentious law.
A couple of Congress leaders like Ajay Maken and Sandeep Dikshit did put in an appearance at the protest march organised by the Left parties in Delhi on Thursday, but no joint action has been planned. The Congress, on the other hand, has directed its state and district units to conduct flag marches against the new citizenship law on December 28, the party’s foundation day.
Ironically, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a product of a people’s movement, has not joined the protesters or even visited the Jamia University campus after the police crackdown on students. With Delhi assembly elections due in another six weeks, Kejriwal is wary that any communal polarisation will only help the BJP.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati’s opposition has been confined to tweets and press releases, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has proved to be equally ineffectual.
Besides having the luxury of time, Modi and Shah are essentially banking on a leaderless campaign and a divided opposition to sail through this crisis.
Anita Katyal
The writer is a senior journalist.
This column will appear every fortnight