Dissent in India

For more than a month now, men and women, both young and old, have gathered in large numbers outside university campuses and in the streets across India to protest the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act. New voices have emerged from within India against the Modi government as the law threatens the secular nature of the Indian constitution.

The bill not just excludes Muslims, nor are the protesters just showing solidarity with minorities; many Indians believe that the bill crosses a line. It seeks to define what it means to be an Indian through a news lens, in which public dissent and the right to protest will not be tolerated. The Modi government has been portraying all those opposing the law as anti-national and have vowed strict action against them.

The Indian state of Kerala has become the first to challenge the law in the Supreme Court, calling it a violation of the constitution and dividing the nation across religious lines. Many states not affected by the Modi wave have vowed not to implement the law. The protests have now triggered a nationwide movement and support by state governments has added relevance. At least eleven states not ruled by Modi’s party have decided to unite in the fight against the CAB.

The citizenship law has divided India as never before as the struggle for a secular India continues to grow with each passing day. The recent attack on students at an elite university in New Delhi by BJP-linked hooligans shows that this is no longer a religious or partisan issue. Every day is filled with news of protesters being detained, beaten up by sticks and stones, and utter chaos in the streets. It seems as if India is slowly crumbling under its own weight due to Hindutva politics.

Not surprisingly, Indians have taken to the streets to say enough; they will take a stand against such divisiveness. They have compared Modi’s detention centres to concentration camps and the BJP to Nazis. This is instilling young people with a sense of revolution and a responsibility that they should fight for their country. The future of Indian democracy hangs in a precarious balance.