The Protests in Delhi Today
Thirty-seven years ago, an unknown man stepped in
front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square, China, etching a timeless image
of individual defiance against overwhelming state machinery into our collective
memory. That solitary man in front of massive military might is an
unforgettable image of the human quest for freedom.
Thousands of youngsters in China had
gathered in Tiananmen Square calling for political and economic reforms,
freedom of speech, freedom of the press, government accountability, and an end
to official corruption.
I see something similar happening in
Delhi today.
The Tiananmen Square protests grew
immensely, drawing students, workers, intellectuals and ordinary citizens into
its vortex. Deng Xiaoping had already become the paramount leader of China, a
man as jealous of others as the biblical Yahweh was of other gods. His
government ordered the army to clear the square.
Troops equipped with assault rifles
and tanks advanced from various directions towards Tiananmen Square, firing live
ammunition into crowds of protestors and residents who attempted to block their
advance in the streets. No one knows how many people died in that brutal
attack.
The image of the “Tank Man” was
captured the following day. No one knows who he was and what happened to him later.
The likelihood is that he was arrested and done away with altogether.
Today, Delhi is going to
witness a massive protest led by youngsters. Modi government has already rolled
out heavy-handed measures to counter the mobilisation. Trains have been
cancelled to prevent more people from reaching the protest site, metro stations
are closed, internet is cut off, barricades have been erected, and – most dastardly
of all – Sangh Parivar goons have been asked to descend on the spot in hoards.
Instead of the government ordering a crackdown, is Modi planning a combat
between two sections of citizens? Given Modi’s track record, we can expect the
meanest of strategies. Who can forget Gujarat of 2002?
Modi seems to have forgotten
altogether that democracy is not measured by how quietly a capital can be run,
but by how courageously the state listens to those who dare to question it.
Power can deploy barricades, block communication and transport, and bring troops
of police or paramilitary forces, but the spirit that drives citizens to march –
whether in Beijing decades ago or on the streets of Delhi today – cannot be bulldozed
easily.
True strength for any democracy lies not in the silent compliance enforced by iron, but in the loud, messy, and inevitable echoes of a public refusing to look away.
I had already told you this several times... That Modi is not Eternal.. Nobody is... Not Even Shah. I am very glad that they have added Mohan Bhagavat, also to the List. Though he is only a vetineraty doctor, by training, by my research. I would have been happier, if they included the others on the backseat, at Nagpur. Modi and Shah are in fear.. They cannot supress the youth... The Moment of the Second Republic has come for Hindusthan, and the end of the Hindutva. Thanks for having foregrounded Tiananmen Square. We might have a Jantar Mantar
ReplyDeleteI really hope that this uprising paves the way for a change of regime. It will take years to undo the perversion that has already been fed into the country's collective psyche. But the purging has to begin sooner than later.
DeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteWhile praying for peace and no harms to come, one accepts there will be inevitable casualties... but the cause, as you remind us, is worth sacrifice. I am perhaps a little less "up" as Maliekal-ji regarding this bringing about an immediate downfall. Hope is there, however, that enough of a mark is made to result in some shift... YAM xx
Some shift. If we get at least that, it will be good. Otherwise we don't know where this is going to lead, especially since Modi has made himself a god. You might have heard the latest: the NOIDA international airport being named after Modi. If you travel in India now, Google map willl tell you something like: "Go two km on Modi Avenue and turn left. Pay your respects at Modi Temple there before you turn right and proceed to Modi International Airport."
DeleteYou are a seasoned political commentator, but drawing parallels between the recent Delhi protests and the Tiananmen Square uprising is fundamentally farfetched. China operates under one of the world's most ruthless autocratic regimes, entirely impervious to domestic or international public opinion. India, by contrast, remains a vibrant democracy—notwithstanding the cynical electoral manipulations often deployed by ruling dispensations.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the current BJP leadership is acutely aware that it commands only about a third of the popular vote. In a hyper-competitive political landscape, a single misstep could prove suicidal for the party. Their strategy will almost certainly focus on tactical prevention rather than brutal suppression, especially as they seek to avoid birthing another political challenger like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Prime Minister Modi’s inner circle includes seasoned moderates who will likely advise against unleashing the party's lunatic fringe on peaceful protesters. Now likely serving in his final term, Modi is deeply invested in his legacy; he will not want to taint his carefully cultivated global image as a Vishwaguru by deploying brute force against the youth. With the eyes of the international community firmly fixed on New Delhi, global scrutiny acts as a powerful deterrent.
Even RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently struck an unusually conciliatory tone while addressing an American audience, signaling a preference for stability. More importantly, Modi is a keen student of history; he understands how the arrest of Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) ultimately showed Indira Gandhi the exit door.
As a peace-loving Indian, I do not want to see these protests turn violent, nor do I advocate for the chaotic overthrow of an elected government as we have witnessed in Pakistan or Nepal. Instead, this movement should serve as a curtain-raiser for the 2029 electoral campaign. In a true democracy, systemic change must ultimately come through the ballot, not the bullet
Tiananmen Square won't happen in Delhi. Not because Modi is not Deng Xiaoping - in fact, Modi would outdo the other if India were like China. That is, Tiananmen Square won't happen in Delhi because India is not China. See Modi doesn't even dare to call the army - he's called only police and CRPF. India's army is not the least like China's. Also, India won't ever forgive Modi if he does a Tiananmen in Delhi. Cultural differences,
DeleteIt's because of those cultural differences that people like Bhagawat tone down their base parochialism which may be known by a lot of other euphemisms including Brahminism.
Modi's awareness of Indian psyche - more than history - helps him. Let me make a prediction (a lot of my predictions made before Modi became PM have already become true and my blog is the witness): Modi is also going to exit in disgrace. In spite of the temples built with him as the presiding deity, in spite of renaming stadiums and airports and yojanas after him. What's in a name? The future gen will erase names from history. And they won't even care for temples.
I'm a pacifist, as best as the species can get. Violence nauseates me. I can't even watch it on the TV screen. So let arrests go on; they are better than shootings. But the end of another political era in India is imminent. Indraprastha deserves a statesman now.
I hope the protests went well. We're in an era of authoritarianism, and it's time we the people pushed back. They can't silence all of us. But, they can silence us if we don't push back and if we let them win.
ReplyDeleteOver 7000 arrests! Instead of understanding what people want of their government, government chose to silence dissent altogether.
DeleteIt’s sad to see things come to this. Blocking trains, shutting down internet, and putting up barricades won’t stop people from wanting to be heard. Young voices are strong, and no amount of force can really silence them. I just hope it stays peaceful and that the government listens instead of pushing people further away.
ReplyDeleteOur Prime Minister has become more than a dictator. He claims to God. And a lot of us believe that too! And so all this oppression and suppression on the one hand, and blind devotion on the other.
DeleteThanks for all the information. I know nothing about this but I pray for peace and a good outcome.
ReplyDeleteDelhi is still volatile. May God hear your prayers.
Delete