The other day I landed up at a protest in Indore against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The information for the protest had been sent to me by a text message from one of the human rights organisations. So I assumed that all the usual suspects from the mass organisations numbering at most a hundred or so people will gather for the protest. Even though only a few years ago the mass organisations in Madhya Pradesh could muster thousands of people in their protest rallies, currently the scene has become moribund and rarely do mobilisations cross a few hundred in numbers. I was, thus, pleasantly surprised to find thousands of people gathered at the city centre of Indore and the crowds went on swelling as time passed. It turned out that the call for protests had been given by not only by the mass organisations but also by the Congress and the Communist parties. Moreover, many Muslim organisations had also supported the call. Consequently, Muslims and Hindus had turned out in large numbers even though the former were much more in number.
This protest was on December 14th 2019 immediately after the act was passed by Parliament. However, since then the protests have snowballed all over the country. The North East has been particularly in turmoil from even before the enactment because the people there have been protesting against the in migration from Bangladesh for close to half a century and they had achieved some sort of closure with the finalisation of the National Register of Citizens in Assam recently. Mostly the Muslims have come out in large numbers fearing victimisation by the NRC which is being proposed to be done all over India. However, students of all communities and also the general public have been protesting. Today, the 19th of December, 2019 has witnessed multiple protests all over India in a coordinated manner as this was announced as the day of national protest.
Thus, there is no homogeneity in these protests and in some cases, like that of the people of the North East and the rest of the country, there are contradictory reasons behind the protests against the CAA. However, it is clear that people are hitting the streets in anger against the arbitrariness of governance in the country. The CAA by itself is not that much of a problem, except in the Northeast, but it is the fear of the all India NRC and its arbitrary implementation and the simmering anger arising from the tensions of a sluggish economy that are bringing people out on the streets.
It seems that the resigned acceptance of the BJP's absurd governance is slowly breaking. The huge mandate that the BJP received probably was because the people felt that it would in its second term take steps to improve the state of the economy. Instead, the BJP ignored the economy and busied itself with its narrow sectarian agenda.
Be that as it may, the grassroots mass organisations are still left high and dry!! These protests, encouraging as they are, are unlikely to lead to a major mobilisation against the depredations of capitalism which are manifesting themselves in serious crises in the economy and the environment. If we were to ask for a switch to organic agriculture or better soil and water conservation measures or more emphasis on renewable energy and greater public investment in education and health for the poor by taxing the rich then we would still not get votes in elections. Simply because there is not enough awareness in the population that this is what will save them and the earth. One is thus left wondering whether these protests are akin to the light at the end of the tunnel.
2 comments:
Good analysis...the current anti-CAB/NRC movement will fizzle out unless it evolvse into something that is not just defensive but is able to link with the economic and ecological issues facing India.
CAB and NRC for the Indian Muslims
The plan of the Chaiwala for the Indian Muslims.dindooohindoo
Hypothesis
Assuming that the votes cast in the last polls in Hindoosthan,were at 40% of the aggregate Indian Population - it would be safe to assume that 50% of the residual non voters,would have no ID proof or records to prove ID, and there will be alternative claimants to their ID and properties and assets.
Of them 90% will be Muslims,Dalits,SC/ST and just poor and marginal farmers and workers.What are these people expected to do ? There is no way that they will get any ID or prove the forensic trail of their possessions and properties,even within the current generation.It will be impossible to prove that they are Bangladeshis or from Timbuktu.
Step 1
As soon as these people are identified, their assets will be frozen and there will be multiple claimants for their assets and possessions - which will lead to distress sales and 3 rd party warehousing of their properties and assets as well as hawala operations within and outside Hinooosthan (at a huge loss to the owners,just like in the Demo)
Step 2
In addition,touts fronting for the BJP/RSS will offer alt-IDs,safe passage etc. (just like in the Demo drive) and the baboos, patwaris,village polity and pandoos (khaki ke kutte) will have a field day
Step 3
The next step of the Chaiwala,will be to target the Muslims etc.,with voter ids and voting rights and to use the NRC,to disenfranchise them - as a non-citizen cannot have a voting right.
Purpose
The purpose of the Chaiwala is to disenfranchise Muslims and Dalits and Tribes in several North Eastern states,and other states,where the margin of vote winnings,is in a few 100s or 1000s and there is a large hostile population which is anti-Muslim or Anti-Tribal,in sentiment.Then the Chaiwala can import the Hindoos from SAARC and settle them in those wafer thin constituencies (as swing voters),and especially near the IB (as spies).
Export-Import
The disenfranchised Muslims and Muslims with No ID,will then be exported to UP/Bihar/Telangana etc.,to Muslim dominated areas (on the pretext that their own,will protect them),where the BJP already has an electoral disadvantage - to further polarise the Hindoos,in those states and provoke Anti-Muslim sentiments, to secure/grow and consolidate their vote bank
Electoral Aggregation
In the interim,the other political parties will punt on the Muslims etc.,and thus, will form a coalition against the Chaiwala (to ensure that there is no vote split and the votes are transferred to the coalition).This is what the Chaiwala wants,as that will further polarise the Hindoos and possibly bring to the fore their bestial instincts - which will be,to support the Chaiwala
If there is no Anti-Chaiwala coalition, then the Muslim vote will splinter,as Chaiwala,earnestly desires
The Hindoo Bindoo who believed that they would get 25000 USD per capita,will be easily conned to believe that the Anti-Chaiwala coalition,created riots over CAB and thus,the Muslim reaction on the streets - is precisely why NRC is required, and that the Anti-Chaiwala coalition is anti-hindu and anti-national
False Flag operations
If the instincts do not show the surge, then the Chaiwala will use the NIA/IB and Military Intel to bomb some Hindoo refugee camps and some Muslim clusters - like in Pulwama (which was a difficult forced
flag operation).That will be cake walk for the NIA/IB - the khaki ke kutte.
It is certain that there will be spate of bombings in North East and Central and South India to build the euphoria against the "imagined other" and build the case for the NRC
The Pathetos
A majority of Indian Muslims are Dalit converts.It is easy to conceive a situation wherein some Muslims with no ID Proof will gladly add "Rama" to their names, and accept ID cards with a Lotus symbol,or verses of the Ramayana - to live in India.
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