 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented with a traditional Assamese Japi at the 85th Annual Conference of Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha in Sivasagar, Assam")
Is the JNU incident part of a series of unfortunate events that have been unfolding since the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party took over in May 2014. There seems to be a pattern, and if the pattern is correct, we have a clear indication of what lies next.
Six months into the government, one of the minority communities accused the ruling party and its progenitor of arson and vandalism at various churches across the national capital. The Delhi Police, under the current police commissioner BS Bassi, wasted no time in arresting the hooligans and gave a clean chit to the ideologues. But this did not stop Julio Ribeiro, India's most celebrated IPS officer who has been the chief of Mumbai Police, Gujarat and Punjab, from expressing his pain.
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"I feel threatened, not wanted, reduced to a stranger in my own country...I am not an Indian anymore, at least in the eyes of the proponents of the Hindu Rashtra," he said.
"Is it coincidence or a well-thought-out plan that the systematic targeting of a small and peaceful community should begin only after the BJP government of Narendra Modi came to power last May?" Ribeiro asked. The critics played down his concerns and called it an over-reaction.
But Ribeiro's alarm bells can now be heard loud and clear. His years in service allowed him to foresee things based on the analysis of events like ‘ghar-wapsi’, love-jihad and celebrating "Good Governance Day" on December 25. Though the ‘ghar-wapsi’ campaign was at its height, the seeds for beef ban were being sown.
Somewhere in the government, a hawkish home ministry was burning the midnight oil to find non-profit organisations which allegedly act against the interests and sovereignty of India. In June 2015, according to an Indian Express report the government had banned foreign funding for 69 NGOs, of which 30 were involved in the welfare of minorities. It served notices to another 31,000 for not filing their returns.
Many argue that the government's decision should not be questioned, because of love for the country and also because we have electorally reposed our faith in them. It holds true in the case of those who blindly follow an ideology or are loyal to the party.
I am giving this to the government because it has more ‘intellect’ and ‘intelligence’ than any journalist or media organisation. I was happy to hold this perception till our competent home minister and his junior made an allegation that a Pakistan-based terror organisation was behind the JNU incident. I have covered the intelligence and security agencies for 10 years and I have seen how evidence is manufactured, doctored or trampled in this country.
When the anchor of a television news channel confronted the junior home minister about the evidence of the links between the students and terrorist organisations, the sharp politician from the India’s northeast first tried to evade the questions. But when pressed further he said: “One just knows”.
“The students were glorifying the death of Afzal Guru and the latter had links with the terrorist organisations. So you connect the dots,” the minister said.
The minister forgot his organisation has also an alliance with the PDP, which had made attempts to glorify the death of Afzal Guru and that too in the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly. Does the same analogy apply to his party as well?
I am leaving this question those who beat the drum of India first and are party acolytes.
Once the NGO row was settled, the next issue to be debated was beef. Houses were raided, and an innocent man belonging to the biggest minority community was lynched in the name of religion on September 28, 2015. This didn’t stop here. Beef was made an election issue, by those who swear by cow and do nothing when it wanders off on the national highways into the path of killer trucks. The result of the Bihar elections is for all to see.
Ironically, the beef issue died post the Bihar elections, but did a great damage to the society. Liberal Hindus, who questioned other Hindus for their eating of other meat like mutton and fish, were branded anti-Hindu and communists. Writers who protested through the pen were either branded stooges of the Congress; some were silenced for good.
Based on chains of events those who suggested rising intolerance were asked to leave India. And those who defended the government were rewarded with the highest state award.
A chief minister, who brought an anti cow-slaughter Act during the infamous Dadri incident, is now ready to give license to foreigners for savouring beef. It reminded me of the history where the chief of the so-called umbrella organisation had decided to extend all support to British rulers for his release. The question is who do we owe our allegiance to? Is it poor of the country or foreigners who want to invest in India? Are Hindus ready to present their mother cow on platter to foreign investors or will they ask for the resignation of the chief minister? Certainly the tempers have not flared and blood injected with nationalism is yet to boil.
After the NGOs, minorities and writers, the next issue to take centre stage was Dalit and their rights. A university student was driven to suicide and some in the ruling party made wholehearted attempts to rob him of his caste identity. The party earned bad press and ended up alienating the politically and electorally strong Dalit community. Many argue that party's posturing on Dalit issue has stems in history.
It is a known secret that the so-called umbrella organisations was initially against the constitution, which was pioneered by the great Dalit icon B R Ambedkar. We don't know for sure whether the ruling party and its progenitor hold the same principles, but their actions are giving all wrong indications.
It may be a coincidence that the ruling party ends up battling with those it doesn't find in tune with its ideology, but the frequency is alarming. The JNU incidents only strengthens the belief against the party, which left no stone unturned to brand the entire left anti-national. But again they forgot some of their activists are being currently tried for terrorism in NIA courts. Does the same analogy applies here as well? The "righteous" people will not only deny, but pressed further they will resort to violence. JNU incident is a classic example of botched-up governance, which the current prime minister holds very close to his chest. Many says it was a deliberate attempt after it failed to reap benefits from the Dalit issue.
To change the political discourse it lapped on to an opportunity provided by some rabble rousers. Some say it was akin to exploiting the Muzaffarnagar riots, which were started by some unidentified accused who continues to be unidentified. Ironically we all know the beneficiaries of the horrible crime.
This anti-India slogans gave a perfect opportunity to show different ideologue their “righteous” place and that too in their bastion the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). A few rabble rousers so much threatened the MPs belonging to the incumbent government that the latter gave a call to shut down the centre of excellence.
The entire episode gave an opportunity to hooligans blessed by their competent masters to show journalists their right place. It is often alleged that journalists do not hold a “righteous” ideology. So why not teach them a lesson? The audacity was such that they twice beat up journalists in court premises before the police and that too despite the Supreme Court clear directions to the police commissioner. I will not be surprised if the self-declared nationalists don’t endorse this too.
More ironic is the timing of the plum post offered to the Delhi Police Commissioner, who is seen acting on the orders of his political masters. It is no secret that this government makes only last minute appointments at the key positions but the commissioner was informed well in advance. The government had deliberately not filled these positions for more than a year. Then why was the hurry to announce commissioner’s name?
This brings me to conclusion that after the minorities,writers, NGOs, left, dalit, university, media which section of the society or polity will make national headlines in the next few months or during the remaining period of the government which celebrates "national governance day".
So who’s next?
