By Dr Satish Misra
Relentless student and youth protests before and after the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) across the across the country and the civil society joining the youth on 19 December may prove to be a watershed in the politics of the country that came to be dominated by the rise of the BJP under the charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Despite over seventeen deaths of protesters in the Police firing in UP, Karnataka and Delhi, the RSS-backed BJP under the strong leadership of Modi and his confidante Union Home Minister Amit Shah has decided to fight the developing situation politically by reaching out to 3 crore families to explain that the CAA and NRC were not against anyone but were in the interests of the country. Even opposition to the NRC from allies like JD(U) of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and supporting parties like the BJD of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in the BJP assessment, are temporary reactions and are no indication of a deep resentment with the Modi regime.
While university and college campuses in many states like the one in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have been facing unrest for quite some time they had failed to gain enough traction to attract public attention as media by and large had chosen or possibly been forced to ignore it.
Large turnout of youth and the civil society despite the central and state government’s determined efforts like large scale arrests of political and student leaders and shutting of internet and mobile services to thwart protest rallies is a development that is difficult to overlook or ignore.
Earlier, there had been widespread protests at the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in Parliament and finally passing of the bill by the two houses turning into an act in the entire Northeast in general and in Assam in particular.
Subsequently, there were demonstrations against the CAB in JNU, Delhi University and Jamia University in the Union capital. Police firing at the agitating Jamia students that led to injuries added to the prevailing anger against the government.
Overwhelming response on 19 December, a day when freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan was hanged to death by the British in 1927 and is celebrated as a day of Hindu-Muslim unity and amity, is possibly the result of several factors. Even a cursory glance at the multitude of protesters who had gathered in Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bhopal was striking as protesting citizens were from all hues, faiths, castes and beliefs. It appeared as if cap on a volcano had been removed by human anger against bigotry and continuous attempts to divide India on communal lines.
Undoubtedly, economic slowdown and diminishing job opportunities have rather significantly contributed to the rising anger against the Modi government among the youth. Further, non-fulfillment of promises that were made by none other than Modi himself has contributed to growing disillusionment among the youth and the civil society in general.
Lack of credible opposition that left the field open for the Modi government, particularly after winning the 2019 general elections with an improved mandate, to rush in legislations like scrapping of the Article 370 ending the special status to Jammu and Kashmir along with large scale arrest of the opposition leaders there and then amendment of the Citizenship Act, 1955 that makes a distinction between politically persecuted Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains and Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh leaving Hindu Tamils in Sri Lanka seems to have resulted in nudging civil society and youth to come to a conclusion that ‘Idea of India’ bequeathed by freedom fighters led by Mahatma Gandhi and sustained by post-1947 generations is being slowly replaced by the RSS-BJP vision of a Hindu Rashtra (nation).
Pace of disillusionment and disappointment with the Modi regime began to gather further momentum with the growing aggressiveness of the RSS-BJP cadres led by none other than Union Home Minister Amit Shah who has never been shy of stating that the mission of a National Register of Citizenship (NRC) was going to be implemented that would ensure the expulsion of illegal immigrants. The experience of a such a register in Assam that finally resulted in over 1.9 million citizens failing to prove their nationality was too recent that resulted in apprehensions and fears which may be unfounded but had impacted people’s psyche.
If these nationwide protests are going to be a serious challenge to the BJP led government at the Centre and in states or not is going to depend upon many factors but one historically relevant fact cannot be ignored that youth has always been at the forefront in change of a regime or the overthrow of undemocratic and autocratic rulers.
Student protests in Europe and youth demonstrations against the US war in Vietnam in late 60s of the last century had resulted in widespread changes in policies and change of governments. Back home, movement against the Congress government in Gujarat in mid 70s was led by students which had resulted in imposition of emergency finally ending in the defeat of the Indira Gandhi government in the general elections of 1977.
China is facing continuous and sustained youth and student protests in Hong Kong and powerful undemocratic regime in Beijing is at loss to find ways to control it. State repression and use of force has often failed to control the situation.
It is evident even in the case of the ongoing protests as despite the best efforts of the Union Home Ministry and BJP-led state governments, turnout at demonstrations across the country was impressive. History is a witness to the youth power that has often culminated in revolutionary changes and no regime however mighty should overlook this obvious fact and should possibly ignore at its own peril.
Divided opposition and lack of a credible alternative to the Modi led BJP are only two factors that yet offer reprieve to the present regime but how far these factors continue to work favourably is difficult to predict as often raging anger among youth finds an outlet for a passionate desire for a change un unpredictable ways forcing unwilling parties ideologically opposed to each other and poles apart political forces to join hands against a common political rival or an enemy in worst case scenario.
(Dr Satish Misra is a Veteran Journalist & Research Associate with Observer Research Foundation).