DK Singh, Editor (Politics), heads the Political Bureau. He specialises in politics and governance. DK joined ThePrint in March 2018. He can be reached at dk.singh@theprint.in
Great article, its almost surgical in its precision. Historically, student uprisings had always had that immense charishma or the potential, whichever word you may use( for your convenience) to a ‘shake up’ at least. In the immediate past we have trends like:
The Paris Protests (1968): Started as university strikes against old school rules and grew into a massive national worker strike that nearly brought down the French government.
The Soweto Uprising (1976): Thousands of Black students in South Africa marched against being forced to learn in Afrikaans, sparking a nationwide turning point against apartheid.
Tiananmen Square (1989): University students in Beijing led massive, peaceful demonstrations calling for free speech, democratic reform, and government accountability in China.
Kent State University (1970): US military forces shot and killed four protesting students during anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, sparking a nationwide strike of 4 million students.
Really well thought and written article, I do agree with your opinion. Wining state after state is giving impression to BJP about everything being good and a fake, inorganic anger on social media, but dissatisfaction and anger has build up since long, CJP was a trigger.
Think of all the blunders, catastrophes and scandals this government has indulged in: demonitisation, botched implentation of GST, complete inompetence during Covid, electoral bonds, PMCARES fund, exam leaks, falling bridges, stolen donation, leaking temple, dirty rivers, just to mention a few. And they still won elections at the national and state levels. Don’t know if people in this country care about anything at all beyond mandir-masjid, love jihad, “infiltrators”, and other such nonsense.
Why should govt listen ? Allow to govern for 5 years else throw them out . In name of freedom and democracy it has become lawlessness and contempt for anything govt .
People are corrupt in country , so what will a minister resignation do . Let him fix loopholes
Huge gathering which openly attacked police is an indication of arrogance of the crowd as well who feel they can act with impunity. Familiar script gas been witnessed far too many times. Nobody is fooling anyone. If education system is in question, how come the real culprits who were running coaching institutes are not questioned by so called protestors ? Is this how coaching institutes were churning out toppers all this while ? By getting papers leaked ? Piggy backing on a genuine issue to spread anarchy is not a sign of peaceful protest. In fact, it questions the very legitimacy of protests. These very journos were silent when protestors were lathicharged a few weeks back in Punjab. People have become experts in camouflaging their intense biases and even hatred towards democratically elected representatives and cloaking them in blanket of “peaceful protest”.
Delhi is in our family’s veins. Some things moved me very deeply. The anti Sikh pogrom in 1984. The communal riots after the CAA movement. Now these haunting images today, of how protestors were dealt with by the police. They will be seen within the country and all over the world. They do not belong to the world’s largest democracy.
Great article, its almost surgical in its precision. Historically, student uprisings had always had that immense charishma or the potential, whichever word you may use( for your convenience) to a ‘shake up’ at least. In the immediate past we have trends like:
The Paris Protests (1968): Started as university strikes against old school rules and grew into a massive national worker strike that nearly brought down the French government.
The Soweto Uprising (1976): Thousands of Black students in South Africa marched against being forced to learn in Afrikaans, sparking a nationwide turning point against apartheid.
Tiananmen Square (1989): University students in Beijing led massive, peaceful demonstrations calling for free speech, democratic reform, and government accountability in China.
Kent State University (1970): US military forces shot and killed four protesting students during anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, sparking a nationwide strike of 4 million students.
Really well thought and written article, I do agree with your opinion. Wining state after state is giving impression to BJP about everything being good and a fake, inorganic anger on social media, but dissatisfaction and anger has build up since long, CJP was a trigger.
Think of all the blunders, catastrophes and scandals this government has indulged in: demonitisation, botched implentation of GST, complete inompetence during Covid, electoral bonds, PMCARES fund, exam leaks, falling bridges, stolen donation, leaking temple, dirty rivers, just to mention a few. And they still won elections at the national and state levels. Don’t know if people in this country care about anything at all beyond mandir-masjid, love jihad, “infiltrators”, and other such nonsense.
Why should govt listen ? Allow to govern for 5 years else throw them out . In name of freedom and democracy it has become lawlessness and contempt for anything govt .
People are corrupt in country , so what will a minister resignation do . Let him fix loopholes
Huge gathering which openly attacked police is an indication of arrogance of the crowd as well who feel they can act with impunity. Familiar script gas been witnessed far too many times. Nobody is fooling anyone. If education system is in question, how come the real culprits who were running coaching institutes are not questioned by so called protestors ? Is this how coaching institutes were churning out toppers all this while ? By getting papers leaked ? Piggy backing on a genuine issue to spread anarchy is not a sign of peaceful protest. In fact, it questions the very legitimacy of protests. These very journos were silent when protestors were lathicharged a few weeks back in Punjab. People have become experts in camouflaging their intense biases and even hatred towards democratically elected representatives and cloaking them in blanket of “peaceful protest”.
People have unrealistic expectations from the banana govt.
Delhi is in our family’s veins. Some things moved me very deeply. The anti Sikh pogrom in 1984. The communal riots after the CAA movement. Now these haunting images today, of how protestors were dealt with by the police. They will be seen within the country and all over the world. They do not belong to the world’s largest democracy.