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Abdul Shakeel Basha, known popularly
as Shakeel to his friends, has been arrested on 17th June 2010, on
various charges. The major charge is that he along with his other
friends was planning to start a Maoist revolution in Gujarat.
Shakeel is 13th amongst the activists who have been arrested on
similar charges. Activists who have been arrested on the charge of
being Naxalites are Avinash Kulkarni, Bharat Pawar, Makabhai
Chowdhary, Jayaram Goswami and others who have been working in
different parts of Gujarat, particularly amongst the tribal and
workers for their economic rights. There has been no news of any
violence in the areas where they have been working. One knows
Shakeel has a long record of working for communal harmony, justice
for Gujarat violence victims, and housing for street children
amongst other issues. ‘Peace issues’ has been his concern during
last few years.
Apart from Shakeel the work of most of these activist’s, arrested by
Gujarat police, has been within the confines of Indian Constitution,
struggles based on the ‘rights as citizens’, as weaker sections of
society. The major violence witnessed by Gujarat has been the one of
sectarian type, the one directed first against Muslim minorities and
then Christian minorities. On the contrary the work of some of these
activists has been to promote communal harmony, which has been a
hindrance to spread of divisiveness being promoted by the likes of
Swami Aseemanand of VHP, an RSS affiliate, who is currently
absconding for his linkages with the perpetrators of Ajmer terror
attack.
With the nation wide beginning of operation ‘green hunt’, the
targeting of Naxalites/Maoists, the Gujarat police, not to be left
behind, has targeted the activists working within the confines of
constitutional limits. Gujarat has never been known to be the work
area of Naxalites/Maoists anyway. This has been an area where the
followers of RSS have been calling shots from last two decades in
particular and trying to convert it into ‘ideal Hindu state’.
Gujarat has also been boasted as the ideal Hindu state, particularly
since the violence against minorities became intense. The anti
Muslim offensive culminated in Gujarat carnage of 2002. After 2002
there was a sustained attack on Christians. This is the violence
which is the marker of Gujarat.
One never heard of any Naxalite violence and there are no criminal
cases against most of the activists who have been arrested. As such
through the intense media propaganda, social activists have been
defamed to the extent that Medha Patkar was attacked physically for
her campaigns to protect the rights of tribal. Strong propaganda
against ‘activists’ in general is part of the norms prevalent in
Gujarat.
The sequence of the political events in Gujarat is very revealing.
First the sectarianism comes up; various factors promote this
communal divide. This leads to the massive anti Muslim pogrom on the
pretext of Godhra train burning. Then on the plea that Christian
missionaries are converting the gullible Adivasis, anti Christian
violence is unleashed. This runs parallel with the aggressive
conversion of Adivasis into Hinduism under the garb of ‘Ghar vapasi’.
Through Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, through swamis and associates
identity issues are projected in the Adivasi areas. The result of
all this is the overall suspension of the concept of Human rights
and demonization of social activists. As such whatever little is
there in the name of social activism has been dwarfed under the
shadow of communalization of social space and communal violence.
Due to these anti minority attacks, minorities have been relegated
to second class citizens. The culmination of this is the formation
of Muslim ghettoes in urban areas and intimidation of Christians in
Adivasi areas. Along with this the concept of ‘Swarnim Gujarat’
(Golden Gujarat), a heaven for investors is advertised through
media. In tandem with this the rights of workers and tribal are
being suppressed to ensure that the industrialists can have their
sway to make big money. As Ratan Tata put it, industrialists have to
be in Gujarat. And so Anil Ambani and others of their ilk project
Narendra Modi as the ideal Chief Minister, the future Prime Minister
of India. The inference is emerging that anti minority pogrom has
effectively been undertaken to create a ‘smooth’ atmosphere for the
industrialists. After subjugating minorities and the democratic
values the illusion of ‘development’ has been manufactured.
Narendra Modi has been compared to Hitler times and over again.
Through his anti Jew, anti Communist tirades Hitler created the
‘ideal’ atmosphere for the big industrialists. It seems Modi has
taken Gujarat on the same path. First he has ensured the suspension
of human rights through anti-minority pogroms, then demonized the
social activists and now whatever little activity prevailed for
democratic rights of the marginalized, is being done away with. The
human rights workers, working in the Constitutional framework are
being dubbed as Naxalites and are being put behind the bars. The
idea is to smoothen the path for big industrialists. The arrest of
workers for human rights issues is like laying the red carpet for
the reckless growth of industries, trampling on the interests of the
deprived sections of society. What is hidden below the red carpet is
the very concept of a welfare state, a secular state, a state with
the concept of human rights of all. One is also reminded of the RSS
ideologue M.S. Golwalkar writing in his book ‘Bunch of Thoughts’
that Muslims, Christians and Communists are the internal threat to
Hindu nation. It seems following his advice first the Muslims, then
the Christians and now the social activists (communist substitutes)
are being targeted as Naxalites.
The happenings in Gujarat show us the deeper designs of the
political class of the country, who are executing industrialization
without a human face, industrialization on the bodies of the
marginalized sections. Hitler did precisely the same. In the short
term it seems very rewarding but surely one knows from History that
once the violation of the concepts of democracy goes too far, the
results are not very pleasing. Hitler refused to learn it in his
life, that’s why he had to put a bullet in his head. Germany kept
toeing his line, that’s why it faced the ruin after the temporary
graphs showing economic prosperity!
One reaffirms that those believing in the ‘violence as a means for
social change’ have no place in the democratic system. In turn, one
must learn that democracy is doomed in a state which does not let
the peaceful social movements to exist!
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