IS IT SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE? (RANJIT SINGH)

INDIA

The PRO-GOVT. news channel ZTV gets one crore missed calls in support of CAA.

IS IT SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?
(RANJIT SINGH)
(1) unchallengeable FACTS: Before I jump to any conclusion, I wish to see through some facts, which seem to me to be unchallengeable.

i)- With the resurgence of the Gandhi family under Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, supported by a galaxy of dedicated leaders like former Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and innumerable others, the ruling BJP is retreating and losing political space.

ii) The latest loss of government in Jharkhand proves beyond doubt that Prime Minister Modi’s popularity-linked projects like “Swatch Bharat” or “free gas stoves” do not attract masses any more. People want to be enabled to buy their needs with their own income. Job/remunerative works are what matter more in everyone’s life. The Modi government has absolutely failed on this front. Its assurance is based only on promises like $ five trillion economy in next 2-3 years.

iii) People are fast realizing that Modi’s “Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Saath” is not working. Had it been working, we would not have seen the images on TV channels of the poor sitting/sleeping in the open, on roadsides, trying to keep themselves warm by burning wood in the winter chill of December. The Modi party is six years in power. There are news reports that about ten thousand people slept under the open sky last night in Delhi, alone. Think of all big towns and metropolis cities where people from urban areas still flock to in search of work and live homeless. Watch them complaining that no government is coming forward to protect them from the winter wrath and you will see the reality of “Sab Ka Vikas.”
You can easily conclude that most of the wealth being created in India s being diverted to the rich and mighty. The BSE index shows the wealth being added to those who already have in plenty.

iv) The Truth might have dawned on the Modi Team that their political mission is no more creating a Congress-Mukt Bharat but “halting the advances by opposition, especially the Congress.”

(2) THREE LEGISLATIVE TOOLS: The shrinkage of BJP’s political space and resurgence of Congress seen simultaneously with facts quoted in the first part above makes clear why the Modi government is so particular about the NPR (National Population Register), NRC (National Register of Citizens and CAA (Citizen Amendment Act), their three legislative tools.
Using NRC and CAA simultaneously, the BJP kills two birds with one stone.

1st: With NRC, it identifies illegal Muslim immigrants, which the Home Minister, Amit Shah calls “Alia, Jamalia etc”. By putting them in detention camps or deporting them, they drastically reduce the vote bank of Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal and hurt Congress in various states.
2nd: With CAA, already in action, it can grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees who entered India before December 31, 2014 and by letting the non-Muslims from Bangla Desh, Pakistan and Afghanistan enter India en-mass and freely, the BJP adds to its vote bank.Thus, without taking any one’s citizenship, it weakens opposition and strengthens itself.
(3) POLITICAL TUSSEL: Even though India’s Home Minister, Amit Shah has been stressing on just one point of defense, “we don’t take any one’s citizenship with CAA,” the opposition has understood his scheme to change India’s demography and culture. Many Chief Ministers, Political parties, intelligentsia have seen thru it. They have discovered that by using the words “Persecuted, non-Muslims,” the legislation CAA does violate India’s Constitution, which does not permit any communal action. and it is on that point alone, they can create and have created a movement against NPR/NRC/CAA. For the Modi government, it becomes helping the “non-Muslims, mainly Hindus, being persecuted” and for Indian National Congress and opposition, it is “Protecting the Constitution” which has no element of communalism in it.A new voice is also coming up which says, if we have space for the persecuted, let us help all those who are being persecuted, even the Muslims like the Ahmedias in Pakistan.
(4) Violence enters India’s Political battle: The truth spread like wild fire that the CAA will change India’s demography. The students of various universities were the first to come out in protest. These were secular, non-communal protests with student-protestors belonging to all communities. The Z TV, as per its agenda to paint all anti-government protests as anti-national, communal, and basically pro-Muslim, played the same role faithfully. But gradually, and unfortunately, violence entered into it. The government blamed the opposition, especially Congress for inciting the Muslims and others. The protests spread, became pan-India, with sympathy and support, even, from abroad. Almost for a week, it seemed whole of India had risen against CAA, with BJP/Yogi ruled UP as the most affected. Arson, riots and deaths were reported from many districts.
(5) The government was alarmed: Something had to be done to stop the spread of protests and violence.
(1st) On December 22,19, the Prime Minister Modi took the stand against violent protests and in its garb, attacked the Congress. On the issue of violet anti-CAA protests, he warned the people of existence of urban naxals making entry into various movements. “Accusing opposition of spreading rumors among people, Modi said, “They are misleading people and stoking their emotions against citizenship law.” “My rivals should burn my effigy if they hate me but they should not target the poor. Target me but don’t set the public property on fire.”
(2nd) Immediately after that, the BJP and RSS jointly began with their pro-CAA marches to counter the anti-CAA violent protests.
(3rd) A loud and forceful propaganda was set into motion to subdue the isolated and feeble voices that claimed that the police itself was a part of violence and vandalism.
(4th) UP government having born the brunt of the violent protests got tough. It put its police into tough action mode to identify the arsonists from videos, arrest them and recover the costs of damages.
(5th) The Home Minister, Amit Shah announced his plan to send his party workers on a door-to-door campaign program to explain his government’s NPR/NRC/CAA mission to get their support in writing.
(6th) Prior to door to door campaign, Z TV, the Modi Government unannounced mouthpiece launched a DIGITAL CAMPAIGN to monitor and amass people support to CAA thru missed-call strategy. It proudly announced having received one lakh calls per hour, totally one crore calls before suspending the campaign.

(6) Z TV CELEBRATED SUCCESS OF MISSED CALLS. Perhaps the government and Z TV were not sure of people coming to streets and speaking in favor of CAA. A unique strategy to gauge popular support was launched. They informed the people that on a dedicated phone number, they can give a missed call and this would be considered as a support. Then the channel added another phone number. They were told its benefits. “Without joining any protest on the street and without coming out of their drawing rooms, they can support the Modi government’s initiative to grant citizenship to non-Muslims from BanglaDesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. One crore did give the missed calls.
(i)- Why did Z TV stop? A negative approach would make one think that perhaps frequency and quantum of calls might have reduced drastically. Only Z TV organizers can give the correct answer. Money, time or labor factors would never matter to a rich channel working for the richest political party of India.
(ii) This initiative of the Z TV was appreciated very much by people on the road and politicians in their chambers. Had they gone up, Z TV would have got more accolades and perhaps had got their name included in the Guineese Book of Records. Anyway, it will remain a mystery till they speak themselves.

(7) What does the Z TV initiative resemble with? To me, It seems like a voluntary REFERENDUM. It does not compel anyone to make a call; depends on your sweet will, though the TV anchors prompted them to make a call to prove your loyalty to the Modi government’s legislation duly approved without any hinderance. The Publicity points were: (i) It does not take away any one’s citizenship; it only facilitates and ensures it to persecuted non-Muslims. (ii) The Hindus being persecuted in BanglaDesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan have no other place to go. India is the only country for the Hindus. Under this appeal, every Hindu in India was expected to support CAA voluntarily.

(8) But, did every Hindu in India support CAA? India, heading towards population explosion was 1,324,517249 strong in 2016,and 1,338,676,785 in 2017, and 1,352,642,280 in 2018, while 1,366,417,754 in 2019, when the Modi Party broke all records of returning to power with full majority, rather with a bigger number. If we deduct 15% Muslims, India has a non-Muslim population of 116 crore. With CAA, the Modi government wants to add on to it.
India is a nation of the youth. 60-61 % people fall in the voting age. It means, there are more than 90 crore voters. With conservative figures of India with non-Muslim population of 116 crore, this segment has 69-70 crore voters. In a free, voluntary type referendum, in which you sit on your sofa and make a missed call, only one crore out of 70 crore Non-Muslims responded to the Z TV initiative. SIXTYNINE crores, non-Muslims (Hindus and others) did not. Little more than 1.4% voted.

(9) WHAT SHALL WE CONCLUDE? The only conclusion that we make is this. Indians don’t want to play Hindu Vs. Muslim game. They are forced to do it. SECULARISM.STILL, IS THE BASE ON WHICH INDIAN SOCIETY STANDS. (RANJIT SINGH)