New Delhi: Armed with a poster saying ‘Gyanesh, it’s done, Bro!’, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora along with several other student and civil society organisations Wednesday gave a call for a protest at Jantar Mantar on 10 October.
“10 October will prove to the BJP and RSS that the countdown that we began during the movement at Jantar Mantar (2 October) has now progressed much faster, and that they should be careful that those next in line are not the Prime Minister and the Home Minister,” Bora said.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s clarification that the modification to Election Commission’s Form 6 had not received its approval, she added, “This shows how there is a preparation for Gyanesh Kumar being disposed of in the same manner as Dharmendra Pradhan was disposed of. It is Gyanesh Kumar’s turn now, but every person who is a part of the BJP and RSS ecosystem… should remember that if there was ever a time to desert the BJP camp, it is now. Every person who becomes inconvenient for the BJP dispensation, every such person will be disposed of, no matter how loyal you have been. So if you want to be on the right side of history… it is the time to desert the BJP camp.”
The press conference had representatives from various organisations, including Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), AISA, Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and the Aam Aadmi Party’s student wing Association of Students for Alternative Politics (ASAP).
At the Press Club of India, Bora recounted the events of the last few days, and said, “We see that when the rights of the common citizens of the country are being violated, in that process, the people’s representatives who really are people’s representatives take to the streets. We see that the Leader of Opposition and various INDIA bloc parties take to the streets to defend democracy. They prove that in this fight to save democracy, all Opposition parties and the common people of this country—we are all on one side, and the other side only has ECI and BJP.”
She asserted that this fight to save democracy is not divided by party lines or banners of student organisations.
“That fight has only one name and that is, ‘We the People of India’ versus the BJP,” she said, explaining that the call for protest comes with the understanding that it has to be broadened so that it remains effective.
“We know that this fight can neither be fought alone, nor should it be fought alone… The call on 10 October will have all student, youth and civil society organisations on this panel,” she added, saying, “The last time all these people were on the same page, the Cabinet Minister had to resign. This time, that would be the Election Commission of India.”
Bora said that everybody now knows that if the BJP and RSS ecosystem needs to be defeated, then everybody has to join hands. “This call (for 10 October) would be so huge that the BJP-RSS system would not have expected…This democracy is not dependent on the BJP, never was and never will. Democracy has been and always will be manned by the common people of this country.”
Not just Delhi, she said that people from across the country will participate in the protest, and should arrive at Jantar Mantar.
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das spoke to the media after submitting notice for the 10 October protest at Jantar Mantar saying, “CJP and all the youth of the country, meaning all comrades, are going to reach Jantar Mantar on 10 October. We have formally informed the Delhi Police and requested them to cooperate with us while maintaining the law and order situation.”
He claimed that based on their discussions, the Delhi Police had also taken an undertaking from Das.
“We have completed all formalities required and given the undertaking, and we expect the Delhi Police to cooperate… youth of the country are coming out on the streets again, and this time they will not leave the streets until Gyanesh Kumar resigns. I want to tell you again that this is not just a movement or protest of the CJP; this is a protest by Gen-Z and the youth… Our slogan is Chalo Delhi,” Das said.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Yes. It will be fun.
Waiting for the contest to start.