Barely two weeks after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) organised a well-attended kisan mahapanchayat at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the INDIA opposition alliance held a massive Loktantra Bachao (Save Democracy) rally on the same grounds.
The message from both events was the same – Indian democracy is in fatal danger because it has been hijacked by a political party that openly promotes crony capitalism and has absolutely no compunctions in stealing from the poor and giving to the rich.
Those who find it hard to believe that an alliance of opposition parties can come together and defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would have done well to attend the INDIA rally on Sunday (March 31). Sixteen opposition party leaders spoke about saving the constitution and preventing the BJP from coming back to power at the Center a third time, their speeches often dovetailing into one another.
Conspicuous by their absence were arrested chief ministers Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren. Two empty chairs were placed on the stage in their honour while their wives, Sunita Kejriwal and Kalpana Soren, made hard-hitting speeches lambasting the BJP government.
Even more admirable than leaders of different parties speaking in the same voice on stage was the support that followers of different parties showed to leaders other than their own.
Kapil, a resident of Delhi, wearing a paper cap that said Mai bhi Kejriwal (‘I, too, am Kejriwal’) had come with his wife and two young children to listen to the speeches. He was not an Aam Admi Party worker. I asked him if he saw any hope for the future of democracy in India.
“If so many party flags of so many different colours can come together for a common cause, then absolutely there is hope. Ever since Kejriwal got arrested over a week ago, my wife and have barely been able to eat. Today when we saw Sunita Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann entering the grounds, my wife broke down and started crying. So did I.”
At this point, Kapil broke down.
“Arvind is responsible for the free education my daughter is receiving. We would have had to pay tuition fee through our noses if our kids were in a private school. My wife is also undergoing treatment for free in a Delhi government hospital, which would have wiped us out economically in a private hospital.”
Regaining his composure, he continued, “I am 37 years old and I have seen leaders rise and fall. But when I look around and see so many people from so many different parties coming together, it gives me hope. We can’t let democracy die in front of our eyes. I want my children to remember that when our democracy was dying, we were here to fight for it.”
At that moment, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared on the LED screens all along the ground. Kapil, still wearing his AAP cap, raised his hand and shouted, “Love you, Rahul!”
In another part of the ground, Devinder, a middle-aged businessman sat quietly watching the speeches. He too was not a party worker.
“I’m 55 years old and have lived in Delhi all my life,” he said. “I am here because social and economic inequalities are rising very rapidly in the country, but I believe that Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal can play a very big role in reducing those inequalities,” Devinder added.
“Blind, religious faith has become a big problem in this country, much more so in recent years,” he continued. “This is resulting in a lot of communal hatred and bigotry. I believe the INDIA alliance can play a very big role in solving this problem. If the INDIA alliance succeeds – and I really want it to – then I believe it will help bring back that sense of brotherhood and oneness which has now been lost. Economic inequality, which is currently at an all-time high in India, is giving rise to social inequality. If economic inequality can be reduced, then there will be more for everyone and automatically it will lead to more social equality and peace.”
Listening to Devinder’s calm reasoning rekindled a bit of hope that not all Delhiites above the age of 50 are doomed to become what journalist Ravish Kumar has famously called “WhatsApp Uncles.”
Each of the various opposition leaders spoke in their own inimitable styles. Rashtiya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav spoke in a sharp, sardonic vein, not unlike his father. “Just as Modi stormed to power, a storm will also carry him out of power.” he said.
Carrying forward the metaphor of the storm, AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann thundered, “We are not leaves who will fall off the branch. Tell the storm to stay in its aukaat (know its place).
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury wished the audience a happy Easter. “Easter symbolises the beginning of a new kaal chakra (era). Today, we stand amongst those who will defeat dictatorship and give a new lease of life to democracy.”
Even Trinamool Congress, whose commitment to opposition unity has been in doubt, declared its unwavering support to the INDIA Alliance with MLA Derek O’Brien reiterating that “TMC was, is and will continue to remain part of INDIA.”
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who read out a 5-point charter of demands from the opposition to the government, also made it a point to talk about how Rama in his battle against Ravana was hopelessly ill-equipped and outnumbered but won the great battle nonetheless because he had ‘truth’ on his side.
Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party, Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference and Dipankar Bhattacharya from Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), all spoke of the great danger posed by a third Modi-term. But it was perhaps Rahul Gandhi who spelt out that danger most clearly:
“Mark my words. If the BJP wins, they will change the constitution. And if that happens, India will burn and possibly break into pieces. Please also understand why they want to change the constitution – because they want to take away not just your rights but also your money, which will then pass into the hands of the oligarchs.”
Nearly everyone I spoke to, including workers from the various opposition parties, understood the clear and present danger to Indian democracy. Interestingly, though, none of them exhibited the kind of despair and hopelessness many urban liberals seem to find themselves in the grip of. (The young climate activist, Greta Thunberg has wisely pointed out, “Of course we need hope. But the one thing we need more than hope is action. Because once we start to act, hope is everywhere.”)
I asked Shah Alam, an AAP volunteer from Thane, Maharashtra, how democracy is supposed to flourish if opposition leaders are being shut down and jailed.
His response was matter-of fact: “Dictatorships don’t last. What goes up must come down. Yes, the opposition Leaders may be in jail, but the people are on the streets. You can imprison a leader, but you can’t imprison the idea of democracy.”
I bumped into Virender Singh Bagoria from the Jai Kisan Andolan, whom I have met at many protests in recent years. He is the flag bearer of his andolan, quite literally, and is recognisable by the huge yellow flag he always carries.
“You’ve been to so many rallies and protests, what is this one going to accomplish?,” I asked him.
“The results of a protest are not up to me. My duty is to get involved. My duty is to fight for the constitution which promises the citizens of India justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. My request to Narendra Modi is to step down, let the law take its course and let justice prevail. Release the jailed opposition leaders at once!”
Kali Ram, a farmer from Jind in Haryana, said, “Modi is trying to make himself ruler for life just like Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi Jing Ping have.”
Echoing Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s appeal at the rally for unity amongst opposition leaders and parties, he said, “We need to put our own agendas aside and come together to save democracy. People need to wake up and see what is happening because if they don’t, then we will lose our country. This government has made such an issue out of the Ram temple, but I want to ask – how does a temple actually benefit anyone?”
As the rally ended, I saw an elderly woman standing just outside the huge shamiana shouting pro-democracy slogans. She was selling shoulder bags and other daily use items at the event. Sadhna, 60, years old and originally from Gujarat, was very proud of the fact that her late father was an LIC employee. She was also very angry with the prime minister and said, “What good is a Ram temple when Ram already lives in our hearts? Ram doesn’t exist because Modi wants him to. We are fed up of his jumlas and antics. Maybe someone somewhere in some village has benefited from him, I don’t know, but the people of Delhi haven’t benefited from his rule and the people of Gujarat certainly haven’t.”
Raising her voice, she exclaimed, “We are tired of these madaaris (roadside entertainers) running this country! I want Kejriwal as chief minister and Rahul as prime minister.”
There it was again, the endorsement for an alliance. This was possibly the fifth or sixth time during the day that I had heard something like this. Perhaps “If not Modi, who?” and “If not a party with a huge majority, then what?” are manufactured questions that have been foisted on us all.
Perhaps the ordinary citizen is much more comfortable with the idea of a coalition government than the BJP and its media acolytes would have us believe.
It is possible that the ruling party has realised this and is terrified as well.
Rohit Kumar is an educator, author, and independent journalist and can be reached at letsempathize@gmail.com
