Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday sought to provoke political reactions against activists by loosely referring to them as ‘urban naxals’ -- a taunt to disparage left-leaning activists who often are speaking in favour of a better life for the marginalised communities -- especially those marginalised on the basis of caste, religion and social status.
In the chief minister’s mind -- and he said so much out aloud -- that the government of the day is doing everything possible for every single community including the marginalised and anyone who thinks or says otherwise is an ‘urban naxal’ and needs to be kept away from.
Such an attitude is straight from the right-wing autocratic playbook and is a tried and tested technique that is aimed solely at delegitimizing the opposition -- be it the opposition political parties or other groups that keep raising their voice against the government. An indication is given that the ruling BJP is the only qualified party to be ruling the country and everyone else is not a legitimate contender.
One of the unwritten rules of a functioning democracy is that the competing political parties at least recognize that their opponents have a right to exist and contest and if either party wins they will have earned the right to govern the country.
However, over the last few years, the rhetoric appears to have completely changed where several boundaries once considered sacrosanct have been mindlessly overstepped in an attempt to weaken the opposition and leave them with a mountain to climb. This has been done through repeating statements like this as well as on mass media to drive home the message until it registers with the people.
Such a playbook has played out over and over again in several countries across the globe ensuring that the violating political party or leader has an unfettered reign of power. Such rhetoric has come to the fore every time the ruling party has faced a formidable challenge. Witness the rhetoric that emerged no sooner the anti-CAA protests came to light -- the opponents were branded as urban naxals, terrorist sympathisers, supporters of Rohingyas and in general people working against the interest of the nation -- whatever that is.
Similarly when the farmers' protests took the national capital by storm, the protests were branded as Khalistanis, separatists, etc when the only thing they did was to turn to non-violent protest -- one of basic rights ensured by the country’s constitution no less.
With Lok Sabha elections now around the corner, and the opposition deciding to take forward an agenda that involves a caste census in a bid to bring together marginalised groups together and threaten the BJP’s core votebank, the Chief Minister has, possibly on instructions from the central leadership raised the bogey of urban naxals yet again to frame the opposition as working against the interest of the country -- a label that is quickly applied to anyone who isn’t with the ruling BJP and the Prime Minister.
It is important that the opposition parties, the activists and the people in general see through the agenda of turning India into a single party rule with democracy taking a back seat...
