“People shouldn’t be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people”
The people of India have risen and defended the democracy. The results of the election have shown that the people reject the divisive right-wing propaganda that has been injecting poison in the society. The huge loss BJP suffered in UP and Rajasthan shows that people will no longer be fooled by this communal tactic of divide and rule. Everyone is feeling relieved just to see that people of the country voted out the hate mongering and fascist forces (especially in the UP and Rajasthan), which frankly gives everyone a new hope, not on the INDIA alliance, but on the people themselves.
I think we have been so demoralized for a decade, that we started losing so much hope, and after seeing the people’s mandate, this feels like waking up to a new day, we feel listened to, we feel heard, we feel there is more to fight for, we feel less threatened, and that brings more hope, and more joy, which, frankly, everyone deserves.
To see that people, especially from the most marginalized, rural communities, who faced the blunt of this divisive propaganda, still rising and pushing back, gives hope. More than the election numbers and results, its watching people say that we reject this government and what they have been to the country. And when it comes from such unexpected places, in such huge numbers, against all odds, it feels good.
This happened in era where the opposition was literally decimated, their funds frozen, their leaders arrested, their parties broken, and their representatives defected, where they were overwhelmed with massive power difference in monetary might through electoral bonds and other means, a huge media propaganda and an IT cell which was designed only to amplify the right-wing narratives, and have the entire government bureaucracy work to hound opposition leaders into submission. The magnitude of the defeat of the BJP is to be looked at from this perspective. The defeat of the right even with all their might is people rejecting their propaganda. It was the most marginalized and rural voters who turned up to vote and show that they will not bend to this might and show the power of people.
The defeat of an alleged mass rapist, defeat of the one who killed farmers, their defeat in Manipur, their loss in the Ayodhya after all the divisive communal temple politics, and the trailing of Modi in Varanasi during initial hours and subsequent winning by huge drop in margin, everything gives a sense of joy and renewed hope in people.
The mighty Modi was forced to say ‘NDA government’ instead of ‘Modi sarkar’ in the speech after election. The illusion of invincibility of the ‘demi-god’ has been broken, and he was reminded that in this republic, it is the people who are supreme.
This hope will reignite and give more strength to the social movements and activists who have been working in a demoralizing environment for the last decade.
The $25 billion loss of the Adani stocks on the result day is the perfect icing on the cake.