As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, there is palpable anxiety amongst those who are genuinely concerned about the future of the Indian republic. With citizens’ rights being rapidly eroded, the economy in shambles, the freedom of the press all but gone, and talk of the constitution itself being changed, the anxiety is not unjustified.
How can concerned citizens keep from losing hope at a time like this? A surefire way is to put ‘feet on the street’ and take part in a democratic protest. Counterintuitive as this might sound, genuine hope is often found most amongst those who are struggling against injustice the most.
It is easy to feel bleak in the confines of one’s living room, where social media-fuelled anxiety can lead to handwringing and despair. But as anyone who has ever stepped out of their comfort zone and taken part in a people’s movement in some shape or form can testify, the view is very different from the street. What we see often depends on where we are standing.
Those who have grown weary of oft-repeated tropes like, “Aayega toh Modi hee” or “What is the alternative?” will likely find renewed hope by taking part in democratic protests, news of which, of course, rarely makes it into the mainstream media, thus further enforcing the assumptions that democratic resistance to the current regime is a) negligible and b) futile.
Neither assumption is accurate.
A case in point was the massive All-India Farmers and Workers Convention that took place on August 24 in the heart of the national capital at Talkatora Stadium (the same stadium, incidentally, where the prime minister also delivers his annual ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ monologue to thousands of school students).
The contrast between the quiet determination of the five thousand-strong gathering of farmers and workers and the cynicism that permeates far too many urban living room conversations was plain to see.
Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta leader, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, sporting his signature yellow turban, reminded the audience, “As we all know, any government that becomes dictatorial does not last. It lasts only as long as people don’t understand its policies. Now that people have understood that the Modi government exists only to line the pockets of people like Adani and the corporates, they are rising up in protest. These protests are becoming a movement that will ensure the BJP’s defeat.”
One couldn’t help but note how the cheery colour of Ugrahan’s turban reflected his calmly hopeful outlook, bright yellow being the signature colour of the turbans, dupattas and flags of the farmers associated with the Union.
Babli Rawat, National Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress emphasised the historical significance of the convention. “For the first time, farmers and workers from all over the country have come together on a common platform this large. We are inspired by the farmers who managed to get the Modi government to back down on the farm laws in 2021, and we will fight alongside them to defeat this government.”
Ajmer Khanda, a farmer and former councillor from Haryana minced no words as he pointed out the sins of the government in emphatic Haryanvi:
“This good-for-nothing government is only good at ruination, and they call this time ‘amrit kaal’! They have taken everything from the poor to the point where we can’t even afford to make tomato chutney anymore, and they call it ‘amrit kaal’? They will promise you a Rs 700 crore temple in Vrindavan, but they won’t talk about colleges, universities and hospitals! And now they are going to give you a Ram Mandir in 2024! Will the Ram Mandir put food on your plate? Give us employment! We need jobs, not 5 kilos of food grains every month!”
Khanda says it was a mistake to have voted for the BJP.
“This is our fault. We have ruined an entire generation by believing the BJP’s lies and supporting them. But we also know that people have now woken up and will punish this government for its evil deeds!”
A farmers’ and workers’ convention in New Delhi. Photo: Rohit Kumar.
Rajen Nagar, President of the All India Bank Employees’ Association said, “Now you will ask, ‘What is the point of these protests when the government will do exactly what it wants?’ Let me remind you that it took 150 years of struggle against the British to gain our freedom. We, the worker and employee unions, have been raising our voices for the last nine and a half years. Today we have joined forces with the farmers. Together we represent a very vast section of the country. You can be sure that change will come.”
I asked Kavita, a volunteer distributing pamphlets about rising unemployment, what good her little pieces of paper would do in the face of the BJP’s huge propaganda machine comprising PR overdrives and advertising blitzes ahead of the election?
“The BJP may have massive resources at its disposal, not to mention control of most sarkari institutions,” she responded, “but what they forget is that India also has a long history of resistance and dissent. We fought the British, the biggest empire in the world at the time and we won. We forget it was the result of the collective struggle of countless people. Just because you can’t see the struggle where you are doesn’t mean it isn’t happening elsewhere.”
Kavita’s gentle but pointed rebuke rings true. Those who are out to destroy secular democracy may, in fact, have more reason to be anxious than those who love it.
The coming months will tell.
Rohit Kumar is an educator. He can be reached at letsempathize@gmail.com
