Protests and Accountability
Neha Bora, national president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) feels Friday’s Jantar Mantar protests is not an isolated call centred on the national Capital but the one that will echo throughout the country and resonate with more people. In a conversation with HT, Neha shares her insights into the central focus of the protests adding that the demand for accountability is a wildfire spreading across the country. Edited excerpts:
You are back on the streets after the earlier protests. What is the central focus of Friday’s mobilisation, Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, Special Intensive Revision (SIR), or the larger question of electoral accountability?
Any one of these issues is not separate from the other. It is precisely because the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has not only disenfranchised voters but has completely eroded the trust of the common people in the electoral system. The man bulldozing the SIR is none other than Gyanesh Kumar, and Friday we are going to be demanding that he be impeached and arrested. Of course, we also understand that Gyanesh Kumar is working on the orders coming from above. This entire exercise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is destroying the democracy of this country, disenfranchising voters, and attacking the Constitution. The lack of trust in the electoral system is a direct reflection of the BJP’s policies and political decisions.
What are you expecting tomorrow in terms of turnout? Do you expect it to be on the lines of last time?
{{/usCountry}}What are you expecting tomorrow in terms of turnout? Do you expect it to be on the lines of last time?
{{/usCountry}}Last time, the call was more spontaneous in nature and it was on a weekday. As such, there was a limited reach that we were able to achieve among people. Today, we are expecting that common citizens will join together in hundreds for this protest.
Is this going to be a one-day protest or the beginning of a sustained campaign till Gyanesh resigns? Do you expect him to resign at all?
Moreover, this is not an isolated call centred on the capital but a call that will be echoed throughout the country. Many people know that there is going to be a major protest in Mumbai. There are also going to be protests in Bangalore, Lucknow and other centres demanding that the CEC be removed. AISA, along with students and civil society activists like Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, Nandita Narain, Nikhil Dey and others who have worked on this issue, will be joining these protests and will be at the forefront of building up the momentum for this movement.
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The INDIA Alliance parties have also started what will be a sustained movement. This is not just a single-day protest call but one that will build up by uniting voices across the country. Whether or not Gyanesh Kumar resigns, the people will decide the fate of this country and will ensure that he is taken down from his seat of power that he has corrupted and through which he has destroyed the fabric of our electoral democracy.
What is your stance on the morality of his resignation? Shouldn’t it already have been tendered? What is your larger view on how the system has been working, in terms of accountability and responsibility?
The BJP-RSS system, from day one, has been very clear on how they will never be accountable or responsible for their actions. The government that once proudly declared that there would be more resignations under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been forced to accept only one resignation thus far. That was a resignation which was forced by the streets. Not just this resignation, but the removal of the entire BJP government, which is keen on attacking the Constitution and democracy of India, will also be brought about by the streets.
Do you anticipate clashes with the police or any violence on Friday? What instructions have you given your supporters to ensure the protest remains peaceful?
Ours was and always has been a peaceful protest. The Jantar Mantar protests show that violence and attacks have consistently come from the side of the state and police. We were and will continue to assert our right to democratic protest. We have intimated the police about our protest and we will come out on the streets peacefully and in large numbers.
Has anyone from the government reached out?
The government considers itself to be above and beyond the scope of law and accountability. In the same pattern, they continue to be silent and unresponsive to demands for answers from the common people of this country.
The INDIA bloc and other groups are also announcing protests around the Election Commission and SIR. Do you see CJP as part of a broader movement now, or do you want to maintain a separate identity?
This is not just a protest by one organisation but a protest about common demands. As such, we hope and expect that every organisation and every party will join in this united call and ensure that it is a success, not just in Delhi but across the entirety of the country.
The authorities seem to have learnt from the previous mobilisation. Do you think they are trying to prevent the kind of viral moments that gave the movement visibility last time?
If, for the past week, Jantar Mantar has been barricaded and closed to the common people of this country, then it shows that this government is in fear of the people. They are trying to prevent the protest to prevent this movement from building up. But across the country, we can see that people are not just educated on this issue, but are agitated and willing to organise the resistance to this fascist onslaught on democratic institutions.
Do you see the protest gaining momentum across India, which is what may be needed to get the resignation?
The demand for accountability is a wildfire spreading across the country and people will no longer be silenced. This much is evident. Not just for the resignation, but also for a larger change in the political system, people are and will be joining together.