● Time to speak your mind,its now or never :
A little something has died in everyone of us today_
In some compassion & empathy,
In some zeal & positivity,
In some happiness & peace,
The shades of grey,with hues of red of blood,are taking away_
The spark of every sunshine with it
The warmth of relations with it,
The feeling of humanity with it.
And If all this doesn’t worry us,we need to rethink twice over it.I feel it’s time to raise our Voice against all odds, flaws & wrongs done in name of running a govt.The might of pen and the power of voices in the history have helped in changing the course of many battles.
The latest we see In India is awakening of New India, which looks united beyond differences after the fall of moral compass of many people from the majority which were once under the influence of fake promises of the govt. They have taken a leap of courage to question the govt itself.
And that journey of change is only possible to see when people realised the importance of standing up for their rights and in solidarity with each other’s pain which they suffered due to overpowering of Govt over the rights of citizens.
Therefore those thinking that by being apolitical & taking silent stand would save them,will not practically work in today’s Indian political scenario.Well,again I would say,many would be choosing the wrong side of the story,by doing so.
There are people who think whatever is going on in name of Religion,Citizenship Law etc. are political issues,which normal citizens should not bring into discussions with friends as it will result in breaking of friendships and relationships.
Well,let me tell you ,if a political interference is so heated up ,that it starts affecting your personal growth,your health,your relations,your business,your children’s safety and your identity and survival,it becomes PERSONAL,it’s no more POLITICAL.And it’s no more wise to be apolitical then.
So still if people tell you to refrain from political discussions it’s because they are the ones who lack justification to such an anarchy,hatred which is being incorporated by politics they stand by and support such hatred ideology themselves.
By voting such goons to power and then by justifying their cowardly,illegal acts of violence, simply proofs what they have in their hearts for their fellow citizens.
And I would say,those are not Hindus following Hinduism who believes in”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” which is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which means “the world is one family” but those are groups of people supporting Hindutva agenda,which is more a political agenda of today.
And such people are the ones who are complicit in crime ,they have blood on their hands of innocents who have been killed,attacked by state sponsored machinery in the form of either Police in case of #AMU , #JamiaMillia or by #ABVP goons who entered #JNU forcefully and attacked students with iron rods in recent incidents related to protests against #NRC_CAA.
When political decisions becomes threat to our life,it needs to be discussed,we may ignore some random activities done by political leaders to gain political mileage to maintain peace.
For e.g. Many avoided discussions over changing names of places from Allahabad to Prayagraj,(along with many other names which were changed by BJP govt& the reasons of changing names,is also an indication of hatred Agenda towards Muslims) but it was ignored ,in order to not blow things out of proportion and to show patience over it &maintain peace.
But the gravity of attacking the students in campus,picking up innocent people from their homes,beating,shooting ,killing and putting them behind bars without any crime but just because they showed their dissent against Govt. is a serious situation,which in some way concerns normal human life.And this needs to be called out.
The rise of #Authotarian type of power should bother everyone beyond religion.Today they are targeting minorities,tomorrow they will come after every individual who will not fall in line with their ideology.The ideology of followers of Manusmriti will first attack women/girls,then Dalits,then other religious sects etc
They will dictate what to eat,drink,wear.Which movies &channels to watch & which to boycott,where women/girls are suppose to go ,where they are banned ,where they need to speak &where they have no right to express.
●Fall of India’s moral compass was the biggest fault :
Earlier by not calling out the govt for their frequent failures made them think they were invincible.Majority of the people did not speak on following issues : Demonetisation failure , poor GST implementation,Revoking of Article 370 from Kashmir, Lockdown of Kashmir where basic rights have been curtailed of citizens from the past 5+months,over military occupation of Kashmir like the way Israel has done to Palestine.Which needed strong condemnation,but we didn’t heard much.Then Criminalization of Triple Talaq & the Verdict on Babri Mosque was also inclined towards majority even after having all proofs in favour of minorities but Muslims accepted it because they respect SC & law of the land.Minority showed patience and resilience in such times too.
Then govt even failed to give employment to youths,provide strong health care system to it’s citizens,safety to girls against rape crimes etc.The falling of Rupee against dollar and the GDP to 3.5% were also not much questioned by majority and they kept mute.
The govt’s zero tolerance towards secularism became obvious through repeated lynchings by their cow vigilantes on Muslims,which was followed by love jihad issues & controversial ghar wapsi episodes etc.
Majority’s silence over lynchings and other atrocities made the minority heartbroken.Such narratives were build by govt amongst people that a stand against Govt was equated with a stand against Country. And hence a person taking a stand against govt was called anti national, paid media propogated this theory too.
Their all wrongs were accepted by the majority in name of patriotism.They had whipped the emotions of patriotism so high through their goons,through paid media that not saying “Vande Matram” or “Jai shree Ram” , meant the person was anti national.So were the narratives build to show that minorties aren’t patriot.
They made it look that those who will wear the patriotism on their sleeves by chanting slogans which pleases them are the only nationalists or else who do not follow their instruction is an “anti national” and needs to be told to go to Pakistan.
Yet again many sane voices and majority people chose not to talk on such issues to stay away from the complexities of the after effects &it’s repercussion.Knowing the toxic nature of this govt,where either by taking a stand the paid trollers of BJP IT Cell troll on SM or if one is in BJP governed state, Police may File an FIR against them for showing dissent against Govt by slapping serious sedition charges.
During all these incidents,moral compass of India kept on falling low everyday.
●BJP’s strategical game plan of turning Democracy into Autocracy :
So when they thought the dose of #Hateriotism served to citizens is High that in its influence they will accept their crucial decision against constitution easily they thought of introducing NPR/NRC/CAA (a combination of few exercises and dubious law passed in the parliament ) through which they can very well now divide a nation on basis of religion which is in violation of Constitution of Article 14 of Democratic India.
They had worked up strategically to make this plan work.Watch out the chronology_
In their first term from 2013 to 2018 they had already focussed on placing their party members(RSS members) on all the important positions,right from governors,IAS Officers,to Police heads,to election commissioner ,to RBI head to lawyers and Judges in courts.
Then media was already sold out to the BJP/RSS which helped in making the pro govt narratives easily acceptable to every household by creating a hatred atmosphere against Muslims and minorities.Every paid newsroom converted into war rooms talking day in and day out about war with Pak,about Mughal rulers and their rule,about Mandir/Masjid ,about Kashmir as a terrorist place and all irrelevant issues.,to broaden the divide between Hindu,Muslim.
Hence by jeopardizing all the institutions of India & by having Media in its pocket they finally turned into blood thirsty dictators.
They thought that they are now,not answerable to any one for any damage they will do,to the citizens or to the nation.Thus over the time they became the fascist forces which believed in Nazi mentality.India under Modi started heading the German way.
In the 1930s in Germany, after a sweep to power, the Reichstag passed a slew of laws that discriminated against its Jews, Romans, Blacks and dissenters. Called the Law for Protection of German Blood & German Honour, the world watched as “othering” became the German way.
Back home,in India of 2019,arise the similarities.Modi/Shah duo thought of implementing their master’s agenda by getting inspired by their ideology (Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, MS Golwalkar &BS Moonje,are their inspirational icons.)
MS Golwalkar and BS Moonje, the founders of RSS who were both equally struck then by not just Hitler’s Germany’s discriminatory laws and policies (vis a vis Jews) but committed also to fascist Italy’s violent, militaristic mode to achieve its goals.The Nuremberg Laws were exclusivist, anti Semitic and racist.So inspired by Nuremberg’s Laws, the present format of #NRC/NPR/CAA works on lines of “Othering Muslims” in their own country.
And hence from Modi as PM ,he became to be known as New Hitler of New India.
Now with that mentality they are supporting their new NRC/CAA law and want it to execute it even when the whole nation in one voice,is opposing it in full might.As this Law discriminate the citizens on basis of religion and along with the exercise of NRC/NPR ,it becomes a lethal combination against minorities.Which can make many poor,illiterate,tribals and minorties specially Muslims as stateless or can make them end up in detention centres or might even mark them as second class citizen at the end of the whole exercise.So the fear of losing citizenship is seen in minorties.Hence CAA is unconstitutional for both violating the text of the Constitution but also going fundamentally against one of the basic features of the Constitution.
● Proofs of govt’s misuse of power to harm the protesting people,specially Muslims :
This govt has totally forgotten the basic tenet of Democracy that to question any govt over its skewed policies,passing of Law against constitution or their irrelevant expenses which costs ex chequer can be questioned by the citizens because this govt is chosen by the people,from the people and for the people &the elected member of the parliament, PM &others are answerable to those questions and are needed to be set accountable for their bigoted moves.But they misused their powers for their gains.
Such chain of events are enough to proof that govt of today have heinous plans of a genocide or ethnic cleansing of minorities on their mind by encroaching upon the rights of citizens.
For instance
1 One day we see Police crimes against students at #JamiaMilia #AMU who dared raise voice against #NRC/CAA.Police had used bullets,tear gas,pellet guns ,sticks etc to brutalize students as if they were not students but enemies who had entered the border.
They were our own blood,our own students,our own future of India which was radicalized by force on govt’s order.
2 Then other day we saw Police Crimes against Innocent people in UP, who were participating in peaceful protests over draconian law #NRC/CAA.The protests were disturbed by some masked,anti social elements on someone’s orders to malign the protesters intentions.They had burned bus,damaged state property on those grounds BJP govt did a serious crackdown on Muslims homes.
The saffron monk Yogi,the CM of UP in media tells that “he will take revenge from Protesters” on that pretext.
They killed,arrested ,tortured and had put hundreds of activists,Muslim men behind bars.
Few of them were reported killed by the police firing too.Many houses were raided,women assaulted,beaten up too by the police and damaged the homes and their belongings.
3 Then we saw crimes being done against #JNU Students under Police protection & security was given to criminals as they didn’t enter the campus to arrest anti social elements who were hitting students with iron rods and attacking teachers and girl students too.
The same Delhi police rampages inside AMU &Jamia campus without anyone’s permission to bully students protesting silently but was waiting for #JNU’S VC call to enter the campus to do some action.Unfortunately the VC’s of all the 3 universities have already sold their souls to govt therefore they did not do anything to save the students.
Infact Police escorted the goons to safe escape.Who were identified as #ABVP students(A student union of RSS) on the camera and through many videos which came into light during the attacks.
But in all the above cases so far no arrests have been made of anti social elements and no action has been taken on Police atrocities.
The vocabulary used by the attackers on innocent people was same all around India.
And public is not stupid to understand the Language of the attackers,infact they identify them by their language & not by their clothes.
“Anti-nationals “, “Mughalon ki aulaad” are words used by Bhakts(followers of Modi) daily on SM to troll sane voices.
The hateful slogans “Desh ke gaddaron ko goli maaro saalon ko”_Where have we heard it before? These slogans were used in a rally organised by govt in favour of NRC/CAA recently.
And “Tukde Tukde gang” are the words used by HM and PM of our country time & again to point towards students of JNU,which is on their hit list.
How unfortunate to see what India have come to today,where the justification of hatred is being issued by the leaders of this govt.And it has seeped down too deep now its trickling down in form of blood drops of innocents.
●The Rise of Secular India :
Alas now we see today that the best part this anti NRC/CAA Protests have done to India is that it has United Indians in real sense.It has stirred it’s soul and awakened it.They thought of dividing us and they ended up in multiplying us in strength.
Now many realising that govt comes and goes but the Nation stays for ever.Our allegiance should stick to nation and not to leaders or parties because they may misguide us for their materialistic gains,but what matters most is the prosperity of our Nation.The priority should be Nation’s Secularism,Democracy,Socialism and Fraternity as enshrined in Constitution of India.India being a plural society with multi-religious faiths, secularism is the bastion to build fraternity and amity with dignity of person as its constitutional policy.
Being a responsible and true patriot we must make sure that the Constitution given by our Freedom fighters Gandhi jee, Baba sahab Ambedkar and Maulana Azad along with others which is the tool to provide strong Democracy to our nation which promises us to provide Equality to all it’s citizens without any differences on basis of religion,caste,colour,race,sex etc.
should be safeguarded at all times by the fascist forces which might work to dissolve it.
This is the first time after independence in 1947,we are seeing most of the Indians on the same platform,uniting across regions,religions and gender,because of that realization.
All seen with Tricolur in hands,slogans of Inquilaab zindabad,Azadi and Urdu nazm by Faiz Ahmad Faiz a revolutionist poet of his times”Hum Dekheygey” it’s all in the air. Everyone singing in one chorus.Be it men,women and old in protest rally,be it students in universities ,be it women’s in Shaheen bagh,be it which ever place in India.
They have declared Revolution against Fascist forces.The beauty of India is when we see Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar Azad,calling for peaceful protests to safeguard Constitution from the stairs of JamaMasjid in Delhi.
Its a rise to reclaim the beauty of our social fabric which had suffered heavy damage due to the present communal politics played by BJP/RSS .
Now the cost of reclaiming that beauty of our Independent India,it’s Constitution & Democracy is high to pay.And people are paying it too by seeing loss of lives and dark times in an independent India all legally enforced by Govt in order to suffice it’s lust for power.
Today’s times is the most challenging time in History of Independent India when the Constitution and Democracy both are at high risk and stake from the present govt whose ideology is based on the wishes of Sarvarkar and Godse,who always wanted their Hatred Agenda to grow and divide this nation on basis of religion.They have been working on this since last 70 years and today when they are in govt with highest majority earned through hook and crook methods, they want to implement all their shady and grey laws to divide the Nation again on basis of religion.
But My trust and faith rests on Almighty and in Indians who are standing like wall against the fascicst forces and are building Bridges to connect to the people from all religions and regions.
The fight May be long but We will win it,one day.
With this poem of mine, I am rest assured we shall overcome all the dark times.
Rise After every Fall
Raise your voice of dissent against flaws
What follows will be a heartening applause
Put your foot forward firmly against tyranny
What follows is noise of footfall against conspiracy
Avoid being silent over oppressor’s goals
What follows are roars from soul to console
Listen to the voice of your heart & conscience
What follows is an echo of calmness from subconscious
Practice commandments of your Lord in tranquillity
What follows will be the shower of spirituality
Observe the sorrow of people less privileged than you
What follows is compassion to those who needs you.
Jai Hind.
Arshi Alvi is an independent writer,poet(English,Urdu),contributes articles on News portals.
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