Nirbhay Bano campaigns counter saffron mobilisation, highlight faulty govt policies

Public meetings organized by activists group 'Nirbhay Bano' in Maharashtra criticize central government policies, mobilization by right-wing groups.

MUMBAI: A few hundred people, mostly from the lower middle class and working class, listened patiently, laughed at the jokes and clapped as speakers criticised the central government and the mobilisation by right-wing groups. Although the meeting, held at Subhash Maidan in the BDD Chawls at Worli on Monday, was political in nature, there were no political leaders around. This was a public meeting organised by a group of activists titled ‘Nirbhay Bano’ (Be Fearless).

Mumbai, India. Mar 18,2024 : Advocate Asim Sarode addressed the people during the Nirbhay Bano Sabha at Worli in Mumbai on Monday. Mar 18,2024. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Vishwambhar Choudhari, a Pune-based activist who came into the limelight during Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement before 2014, and legal activist Aseem Sarode spoke about the “anti-people” and “anti-Maharashtra” policies of the central government. “Save the Constitution and save Maharashtra’s dharma,” they appealed to the crowd amidst applause.

Choudhari declared that the RSS and BJP were “pseudo-nationalist and pseudo-Hindutvawadi”. “Gandhiji, who used to chant the name of Ram, was Hindu, and Nathuram Godse, who killed such a devout Hindu, was Hindutvavadi,” he said, pointing out the difference. “The RSS and BJP, which did not accept the symbols of Indian nationalism, the Constitution, national anthem and the tri-colour as the national flag, are now preaching nationalism to the nation.”

In May 2023, the Hindu Sakal Samaj, an umbrella outfit of right wing groups, started Hindu Jan Akrosh Morcha processions in Maharashtra in early 2023. As opposition parties chose to remain silent even in the face of their provocative and communal statements, members of civil society in May 2023 started organising public meetings under the banner of Nirbhay Bano to speak out against this as well as on the issues related to governance, politics and socio-economic sectors. Starting with small gatherings of 200 to 300 people, the Nirbhay Bano meetings are now getting much larger crowds of up to 5,000, said the organisers.

Advocate Sarode, Choudhari and senior journalist Nikhil Wagle emerged as the main speakers of the campaign due to their aggressive speeches that got a good response from the crowd. Since then, over 65 rallies of Nirbhay Bano have been held in various parts of Maharashtra from Mumbai to the remote tribal districts of Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.

Choudhari said that people needed to take a political stand fearlessly, and the Nirbhay Bano meetings aimed to create awareness about this. “Although we are social activists, our movement is purely political,” he said. “Citizens of any country must have a political stand, otherwise rulers, irrespective of their ideology, will start behaving in an autocratic way and will implement policies in their own interest instead of that of the people. Everyone knew what was happening around but no one was speaking about it. There was a need for a civil movement to question wrongdoing in various sectors, including agriculture, governance and politics.’

The activist clarified that they took no political sides. “Today, we are criticising the BJP government, but tomorrow if the opposition comes to power and starts working like the current government, we will question them too,” he said.

In December 2023, right wing activists had attacked Choudhari during a Nirbhay Bano event in an auditorium at Sinnar in Nashik district. In response, another group organised another Nirbhay Bano rally at Sinnar on February 3, 2024, on an open ground, which was attended by over 3,000 people. Since then, Nirbhay Bano rallies have become increasingly popular among the people.

Sarode said that the name ‘Nirbhay Bano’ was derived from an incident during the Champaran satyagraha led by Gandhi. “After leading the satyagraha for the farmers successfully, Gandhiji was about to leave Bihar,” he said. “A group then urged him to stay back and fight for them too. After listening to the issue, Gandhiji told them that they had to now fight their own battles and not fear the rulers. The slogan ‘Nirbhay Bano’ and the idea to start a public movement has come from there.”

When asked for his response, BJP spokesperson Atul Shah said that the allegations against Modi were the result of vested interests. “The Nirbhay Bano group is making allegations due to forces behind them. But people will not believe them as the credibility of PM Modi is a thousand times higher than these people,” he claimed.

‘Nirbhay Bano’ financial model

Nirbhay Bano rallies are funded by the public. When any informal local group or formal organisation contacts the team and expresses a desire to organise a rally, they are asked if they can mobilise at least 300 people who can donate between ₹100 and ₹1,000. If yes, they are asked to create a group of at least 300 people on WhatsApp. According to the team, the logic behind this number is that organising a rally needs 30 volunteers, and as a rule, of the total number of supporters, 10% are active. Simplicity is another condition for a Nirbhay Bano rally, as the team does not want to turn it into a grand event.