Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is in the eye of a storm again. Masked goons wielding sticks and iron rods entered hostels and brutally attacked resident students. The Students’ Union officer bearers claimed the masked attackers belonged to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students’ organization associated with the RSS. This sudden flare up cannot be an accidental upsurge. As is becoming a regular habit of the present political operatives in power, diverting attention of the public has become an all encompassing game. A series of events have been cleverly planned so as to ensure that no single issue remains in public memory for long. Like an athlete doing a Hop Step and Jump, present day Indian politics is being played out in a similar fashion. The NRC was followed by the CAA, which was quickly followed by the NPR and so on and so forth. While the Shaheen Bagh protests were getting stronger and seemed to draw global attention, the attack at JNU was a master diversionary stroke.
There are many in this country who believe the struggle is against Moslems who seem to have been painted as the villains for all of India’s problems. In the process, the economy of the country has been allowed to go to a state of shambles. Urban India is crying for attention in terms of drinking water, energy, pollution control and a general apathy towards infrastructure. Rural India is witnessing most developmental works coming to a grinding halt. The oft repeated joblessness of the youth, both urban and rural, is affecting mostly Hindoo youths. Nobody remembers the promise of 100 Smart Cities. Forgotten are Start Up India and Stand Up India. Except a few chosen industrialists/businessmen, most enterprises are closing shop. Rich and capable entrepreneurs are all trying to leave India. Anand Mahindra’s tweet of 6 December 2020 about the JNU attack should be an eye opener for those who wish to remain oblivious of the grim reality enveloping the country now. Mahindra has tweeted: ‘It doesn’t matter what your politics are. It doesn’t matter what your ideology is. It doesn’t matter what your faith is. If you’re an Indian, you cannot tolerate armed, lawless goons. Those who invaded JNU tonight must be traced & hunted down swiftly & given no quarter…’
Unfortunately, the System is aligned with the goons. The Police, Armed Forces and the government machinery are now menacingly facing the populace with a single purpose. That purpose is to divert attention of the nation from real issues of poverty, deprivation and a crumbling economy.