On Tractors & Tyrants
On 26th January this year, the entire nation witnessed the tractor rally taken out by the farmers protesting against the three farm laws passed by the Parliament, and the chaos that followed. In the violence that arose, 83 police personnel were wounded, whereas more than 1000 farmers sustained injuries, and one died, allegedly after being shot by the police. And yet, the most controversial incident was the hoisting of the Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort, supposedly by the protesters. A large section of Indian Twitter has taken offence at the fact that a religious symbol was put up on display at a national monument on Republic Day. These are the same people who are conveniently ignoring the fact that an Indian state (Uttar Pradesh, obviously) had a tableau in the Republic Day parade based on a symbol of majoritarianism and religious hate.
This behavior can be attributed to the fact that it is very easy for people to tell the protestors how to protest, rather than to speak up against the government. Thousands of farmers have been braving cold weather, lathicharge and tear gas for more than 50 days, in order to fight for their livelihood and their lives, and yet all it takes is the unfurling of one flag for people to discredit the entire movement as “violent” and “anarchist”. Journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and Barkha Dutt were the first ones to condemn the violence, and yet their focus was only on preaching the art of non-violence to the protesters, while there is plenty of evidence of disproportionate use of violence by Delhi Police. Everyone was concerned about the tricolor on the Red Fort, and no one noticed when thousands of farmers who proudly displayed the same flag on their tractors were subjected to lathis and tear gas shells. I doubt that any media channel tried to show that side of the violence. There are also those who mistook something as common as the Nishan Sahib, which flies atop every Gurudwara, with a separatist flag, and then got offended when their willful misconduct was pointed out. Unsurprisingly, this was said only by right wing trolls. Its not their naivety, but rather their devotion to the Supreme Leader that gives them the gall to make such blunders and then spend the entire day defending themselves. Also, it is no secret that this method has been used by the government before. Every time protesters seek to assert their identity, religious or otherwise, they are faced with constant demonization by the media and the government. This is precisely what happened when there were chants of “La Ilaha Illallah” at Shaheen Bagh. Even the opposition jumped on the bandwagon and denounced the Muslims for asserting their religious identity at a protest meant to save that very identity (looking at you, Mr. Tharoor). Why is it okay for saffron flags to be hoisted higher than the tricolour, for elected representatives and ministers to conduct Hindu rituals on newly bought aircraft, and for the Prime Minister to attend the foundation laying ceremony of a temple? In today’s India, displays of majoritarianism, racism and religious supremacy are tolerated, and receive the backing of governments. Displays of unity and brotherhood are not.
It is very easy to stay neutral and attain a sense of moral pride by dismissing the actions of the protestors as violent and unjustified, but that is precisely what strengthens the tyrants sitting in power. The same tyrants who let more than 150 farmers die, and yet did not utter a single world. The same tyrants who have the time to congratulate Team India on its latest Test win, but cannot name the country who is relentlessly gnawing at our borders (either they are too scared to name China, or are genuinely stupid enough to feel that changing names of fruits and banning TikTok will stop Chinese aggression).
It’s high time that we, the journalists, students, workers and everyone else who has not been blinded by the obvious greatness and perfection of our Prime Minister, as the supposedly smarter and more intellectual citizens of the nation, realize that we need to stop pointing out and demonizing the oppressed for their reactions, and start holding the oppressors accountable for their actions. There is nothing wrong with individuals or groups of individuals trying to assert their identity. It does not need to be justified. What is definitely not justifiable is the use of taxpayer money to fund a tableau depicting a temple built on the basis of hatred and bigotry, especially on a day meant to celebrate a document that declares that the nation is secular. Violence cannot be justified, but the problem is that we tend to devote our energy trying to tell that to the protesters, rather than telling that to the government, who are responsible for the protest in the first place. Just because the State has the means and the right to yield authority does not mean that their violence can be justified. How long must we turn a blind eye towards police brutality and relentless attacks against protesters just because the protesters reacted? In the past few years, it has always been the government and the police which has caused protests, used indiscriminate violence, tried to malign and vilify protests and used its authority in a wrongful and bigoted manner. We cannot sit back, relax and wait for the next elections. Nor can we expect that the opposition and the media will keep the government in check. We need to take a stand now and make sure that the government answers for their actions, and that can only happen when we stop focusing on the one instance when protesters did something unjustified and look at the ninety-nine instances when the government used violence. Its about time we start calling the spade a spade.
“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” — Dante Alighieri
