On 22 January 2024, there were saffron flags everywhere. On the TV news channels that began their ‘100-hour’ coverage. Hanging from the neighbour’s balcony that always had a new type of flower blossoming. On the WhatsApp status of a long-lost school friend who moved abroad – all celebrating the inauguration of a partially-constructed temple on the ruins of a mosque that was demolished in an ‘egregious act of violence’, in the words of the Supreme Court. But there were acts of resistance too.
In Kolkata, civil society members and associations like the AICCTU, AIPWA, AIARLA, AISA, RYA and other left, progressive groups organised a massive march with the clarion call to defend the constitution, democracy and the republic. Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad walked the rally with a portrait of Nazrul Islam, a poet from Bengal. In an interview with Anisha Reddy, the activist shares the importance of resistance, especially in the next few months leading up to Lok Sabha elections.
Excerpts from the interview:
The Ram Mandir inauguration was held yesterday and there were several rallies and marches held across the country. In this context, could you tell me about the beginning of the Anti-Fascist Grand Conference and the civil society rally carried out in Kolkata on the same day and what it stands for?
This was a movement of mass organisations and close to 6-7,000 of us marched three kilometres and ended up at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stadium Kolkata, an iconic venue given that January 23 is Netaji's birth anniversary and despite every effort at his appropriation, Bose was a staunch opponent to religion-based nationalism, supremacism something that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and this regime epitomises. There was a spring in our step and a feeling of breathing amongst the suffocation as we re-claimed our streets. I walked with a beautiful portrait of Nazrul Islam, a much loved people’s poet of Bengal, beloved to Hindus and Muslims for his wisdom. Streets that have been overcome by the hate-filled bully who is protected by a rogue government.
Amidst all the celebration, did you personally observe any other acts of resistance to the politicisation of Ram Temple inauguration?
Yes there were calls and readings of the Preamble of our Constitution, inter-faith prayer meets and rallies. A gesture truly evident of the pluralistic values of India also came forth from Koppal city of Karnataka where Hindus and Muslims were seen offering special ‘puja’ together at a local Lord Ram temple. Hate Detectors posted on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) showing pictures from the said ritual. As per the social media post, leaders from both communities gathered at the said temple in Bhagyanagar locality of Koppal city and participated in the worship with combined devotion.
More than anything else I think thousands of us reached out to our fellow Indians, those we label minorities, especially Indian Muslims who have been stigmatised, labelled and made to live in a sense of everyday trepidation if not anger, disbelief and fear. We reached out through personal letters, messages, calls, videos and of course the ever present social media.
How important is civil society’s role in coming together to resist such politics of religion, especially in the run up to Lok Sabha elections?
It is crucial, though very hard work. Especially given that the organised political parties appear scattered and lacking drive, seriousness and focus. Whatever little we can do, or more, getting the disillusioned to re-build hope, register, cast the vote according to our calling and conscious, push the political formations in opposition to rise to the historic call and need...if nothing else we need to do this because by not even trying we are ceding more space.
India and Indians need to reclaim the streets and our public spaces and assert that the production we were made to witness yesterday --and which the electronic media shamefully thrust upon us in supplicant cowardice is not about faith but about the state being a bully, majoritarian and discriminatory. Those in Parliament and government today are sworn to an ideology that is wedded to an 'overthrow' of the Indian Constitution: which means that the values and aspirations commandeered through decades of the freedom struggle have been thrust aside to asset an arcane and dangerous, non-inclusive idea.
We need to collectively ensure that the values of the Indian Preamble, justice, social economic and political, equality of faith, belief and worship --all of it --are asserted by us upon the government we elect that needs to answer to us --to be transparent to the rightful demands of all Indians. An accountable, transparent and just dispensation. Not one that criminalises protests, squeezes public resources for narrow political gain and weaponises our laws so that they are used to incarcerate citizens.
Do you believe that the space for such resistance will be able to continue under the current government?
This government is based on an arrogant, exclusivist idea that is vocal about stifling all questioning of government policy, all dissent, all political opposition even: yet they had to bow before the Farmers Protests and before the Covid-19 Lockdown had been stunned by the anti-CAA/NRC/NPR protests. By terrorising a population through executive diktat they have scared thousands into a watchful silence --this climate of fear will only worsen if they are unopposed. Hence we must do whatever we can to organise ourselves and voice our protests, peacefully.
I recall when the 1977 elections were surprisingly called by Mrs Gandhi after she lifted the Emergency (I was just 16 and a half/17 years and our parents --my father--exhorted us to go out there and ensure the autocratic party is defeated. Bombay returned all 6 seats to the Janata party then. Is such a thing feasible, possible? With the money and muscle power that those in the regime have? The next few months are a battle between the will of the vast Indian people and the significant number who have been poisoned to swallow the dream of a theocratic, militaristic state.
Apart from Mamata Banerjee’s interfaith rally, several other political leaders who declined the invite to the Ram Temple inauguration made their own Ram temple visits in their respective states. As an activist, how do you read these Ram temple visits by opposition leaders?
See faith is a personal matter, yet faith and religion should not be mixed with the state policies. India has always adopted a rather unique form of secularism (in fact many varieties of this) which for some is complete distance from all faith and for others is equal respect for all religions. (Sarva Dharma Sambhav), In the extremely toxic and polarised atmosphere generated by this regime in connivance with the corporatized electronic media, any counter to the production event that took place yesterday tends to be projected as anti-faith.
To counter this, there can be a myriad of paths. The one we chose, to march and reclaim the streets, what others did by multiple readings of the Preamble, a Community Fast or yes even visits to a Mosque, Buddha Temple, Church, Gurudwara and a Temple. For the opposition to be defensive and only do temple visits is not enough; it should at the least have a Constitution/Preamble reading and an all faith worship programme thereafter. Hindus and Muslims and Christians believe in the Preamble, the Constitution. The battle between the Shraman and Brahman, against Caste Inequity, for Gender assertion goes back to the pre-modern, early medieval even early Indian periods of history. Remember Buddha, Basavana, Kabir, Tukaram, Akka Mahadevi and hundreds of others?
What are the major issues that the government should be focusing on in the run-up to Lok Sabha elections?
Social dignity and harmony for all Indians; shunning politics of hate. Repealing weaponised laws. Ensuring employment for the youth, an Urban Employment incentive scheme, restructuring and revival of medium scale businesses, guaranteeing work participation and safe streets for women, easing distress of those who are from the working sections, workers and farmers. Ensuring a revival of the agrarian sector, revitalising public health and education, ensuring primary schools, secondary schools, primary health centres and district hospitals.
