The protesters are unknowingly becoming puppets in the Delhi elections
The Shaheen Bagh protests have become a part of both the history of India’s democratic movements and of the women’s empowerment.The protesters at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi have registered their point. The muslim women, waving the national flag, carrying photos of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, and reciting the words of the Constitution’s Preamble have shown their resolve to stand up for the secular spirit of the Constitution.
However, there is a time when protest movements become counterproductive and the participants of such movements should understand this point. For the Shaheen Bagh protesters that time is now. The main reason for this conclusion is that with the Delhi Assembly elections are just a week away, the shaheen bagh protestors have increasingly become the puppet in the electoral game being played in Delhi.
The wrong message going out
The critics are objecting to the usage of the protest stage by some people who tried to make uncivil and provocative speeches. The extremist pronouncements by some of the people, like Sharjeel Imam, associated with the initial protest have sent the wrong message that the protests were only undertaken for partisan reasons and have fallen into the hands of extremist elements. The closure of one of the main roads for a long time also added to the negative image of the protests around Delhi.
There have been two shooting incidents near the protest venue. Although no one has been killed but there is no guarantee that the next one may not cause fatalities. While the protesters are not involved in such incidents, many hold them responsible for the disturbing law and order situation. With the U.P. Chief Minister’s entry into the Delhi electoral fray with his communal speeches, and the Hindu Sena’s threat that they will clear Shaheen Bagh by force, the condition is becoming more volatile. The protesters of shaheen bagh will be blamed if this escalating inflammatory rhetoric leads to a communal riot.
Negative consequences
The Shaheen Bagh protest has achieved its objective: they have squarely registered their dissent against the CAA and successfully linked the discussion of the CAA with the National Register of Citizens. Shaheen Bagh has emerged as a symbol of protest to protect the secular values enshrined in the constitution. But the protesters must also understand that the ongoing politics over the Shaheen Bagh protest serves the interests of both the BJP and the Congress. For the Congress, which is in a very bad situation in Delhi, the protest is a golden opportunity to beat both the BJP, which wants CAA to be implemented, and the AAP, which has been talking out of both sides regarding the Shaheen Bagh protests and the CAA. But the greatest beneficiary of the continuing protests is the BJP. It helps the party to consolidate the Hindu vote behind it and paint the AAP and the Congress as anti-Hindu. It’s the reason why the HM has allowed the protests to continue without interference by the Delhi police.
Therefore, the protesters must recognize that their actions are leading to far more negative outcomes than the positive ones. There is no harm in halting the protest movement for some time. They may continue the protest in a fresh way free of political capture attempts after the Delhi elections are concluded.
