The tukde-tukde gang has returned, under a different garb but it has returned with a vengeance. Every few years since 2014—the year the Congress Party decisively lost power at the center—the so-called social activists keep popping up with some sort of ‘andolan’, some sort of protest against the government. Now, protesting against the government or government policies is not only a fundamental aspect of a functioning democracy, but in a lot of cases, it is critical for the masses to rise and stand up together. Protests against anti-democratic measures taken by the government play an important role in maintaining democratic principles. But the protests that we have seen, mostly in Delhi, against the government since 2014 are flimsy to begin with. First, the protest or the controversy in 2014–15 was about how democracy is being killed in India. Not sure how to buy that argument since the only change India made in 2014 was to actually vote out en masse the existing ruling party. Then the subsequent protests were against the CAA—a constitutional mandate that the central government is expected to execute, but measures that were never undertaken since independence. Despite these measures being a constitutional mandate, the protesters ostensibly accused the government of killing democracy!
Then came the Farm Bills—reforms designed to open the agricultural market. The opposition to them was impressively orchestrated: organizers mobilized massive crowds, co-opted extremist elements, and eventually led a violent rampage until the government backed down
If a keen observer from outside of India were to opine on these protests, then he or she would likely conclude that the central government is indeed anti-democratic and despotic. The hoopla these protests create in the internet world and in the foreign media should be a case study for a college-level communication course. The intensity these protests espouse in local media and in foreign media like the NYT is of staggering proportions. It’s like a close-up shot in a movie. The basis of the protests is never analyzed. The premise is never questioned. Even a basic question like why these protests happen mainly only in Delhi and nowhere else, is never entertained. The India media also exaggerates the situation but for entirely different reason. Indian media houses, for most purposes, are only about viewership. Their only mantra is to bring more viewers so they can continue to advertise on 40% of the screen. Not much is expected from them.
A pertinent question to ask at this juncture is: why do these protests then fizzle out? Let’s look at some of the factors:
The phony issues of the protests – The majority of the protests looked politically motivated. Now, politically motivated protests can be rationalized. But the hidden politics behind these protests does not belong to Indian politics! Which rational political actor would oppose a farmer’s right to sell to the highest bidder, or a standard update of the voter rolls? Regional parties quickly realized that backing these illogical stances offered little political upside, leaving Congress-led initiatives isolated. In the event that the BJP manages to use these protests to rile up their political base, the brunt will be faced by regional parties. For example, in the current so-called CJP-led protest, one hardly sees active engagement from any of the regional political parties. Moreover, the protesters consistently failed to provide logical and rational proof for their argument. It was always ‘trust me bro’. This sort of logical jugglery may work for a while, but protests built on such a flimsy base are bound to fizzle out.
No ground support – Most of these protests do not have ground support. The farm bills, for example, were primarily opposed by Punjab farmers. Even farmers in the neighboring states of UP or Himachal Pradesh did not actively support them. The CAA protest was painted as anti-Muslim, immediately creating a diametrically opposite force among people who decided to support the CAA. Even the current protest does not have base support, since protesting against a constitutional post is quite confusing. We can protest against democratically elected ministers and force them to resign, but why protest so much against a bureaucratic post where the person will retire in a year or so anyway? Such protests also do not have any issue that impacts wider swaths of the population. It also does not help these ‘andolanjivis’ that the economy is humming along and an overwhelming majority of the people are busy making an honest living.
This is the exact trap AAP fell into: perpetual agitation without constructive solutions eventually exhausts voters. India’s electorate is busy earning a living, not looking for a permanent revolution.
This brings me to the last point on the topic.
The ‘fake’ protesters – After the so-called farmers, and then the Muslim protesters against the CAA, the protester job has gone to the so-called university student politician—especially student politicians from leftist organizations. Leftist ideology has almost vanished in India. The CPI(M) Kerala election, their last power bastion. And with that, this ideology has ceased to be a major political voice in the country. In short, the democracy that these leftists claim is in danger is the very force that rejected their ideology comprehensively! Even among the so-called leftists, student activists are the worst. It seems like they do not pass exams, do not graduate, and keep creating a nuisance in the university with no apparent benefit to anyone. Moreover, leftist student ideology is quite contrasting to Congress party ideology, and yet they are riding triple-seat on a scooter with AAP-lite version protesters—i.e., the Dikpes of the world. Each of these three actors wants to steer the vehicle in a different direction. How is this even legitimate?
What’s next?
This protest started as a protest against exam paper leaks and then quickly morphed into an anti-Chief Election Commissioner protest, while consistently hiding the fact that it is merely a pawn for some higher actor. The protesters are in search of their next protest, and they want to pass off this hooliganism as a democratic right. It will not work in the long term. Whether their next target is border security or financial transparency laws is immaterial. By manufacturing outrage over flimsy premises, these bad-faith protests do real damage: they cry wolf, eroding public trust when legitimate grievances actually need to be heard.
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