Indian ruling classes which often projects India as the world’s largest democracy, through their handling of the Kashmir nationality question in the past six decades, have shown their true colors. Their imperialistic & colonial attitude towards many nationalities is no different from their predecessor British imperialism that once oppressed the people of India.
The people of Kashmir have consistently spoken against the occupation and the denial of their right to self determination. For sixty long years, the Indian State has cunningly gone back on its promise of a plebiscite to decide the future of Kashmiri’s, and has now got enough clout to make the international community to forget it.
The rejection of Accession with India by the Kashmiri parliament in 1948, the sustained freedom struggle, the insurgency and the present Kashmir intifada clearly indicate the will of the majority of Kashmiris for freedom.
Their struggle is no different from the struggle for freedom against the British. The people of Kashmir, much like the leaders of modern India, have taken multiple forms of struggle including violent insurrection, their struggle is no less important than the struggle of the leading lights of the Indain freedom movement such as MK Gandhi, Nehru, Jinnah, CS Azad, Bhagat Singh, Subramania Barathi, Netaji SC Bose, Ambedkar and countless other foot soldiers who were martyred.
It was not the RSS, the BJP, the present day Congress or the now jubilant and vocal Media channels that gave Indians the Freedom from colonial domination. The nation as represented by the constituent assembly, declared India to be a democratic state with guaranteed rights to its citizens. The rights included the right to dissent and express.
As India rapidly turns into a US vassal with regional imperialist designs, the Indian state is not only forcefully occupying large areas in North East and Kashmir with direct military presence, but is also predating on the people of central India and the rest of the regions with its internal coercive force: The Police, CRPF etc. only for the benefit of Corporate houses and Multinational Trading companies (much like the British East India Company)
The Media (esp channels like TIMES NOW) is another arm of the Indian State meant to propagate hate, misinformation and false propaganda in order to mesmerize the people of India into submission. Where the voices against such injustice and direct assault on the founding principles of the Indian state are raised, the media jumps to vilify them egging the state to take coercive action. A institution that bases itself on the FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, is unable to tolerate the same right to those with differing opinion.
In the recent weeks and months the right wing media (both electronic and print) are vigorously campaigning against Arundhati Roy, SAS Geelani (Kashmiri Separatist) and others who have voiced their differing opinions on the status of Kashmir, to be charged with Sedition. While the issue of sedition is totally incompatible with the institution of modern day democracy, the very cry for such a feudal law speaks volumes about the quality of the so called world’s largest democracy. The concept of this archaic law of sedition is not new to India, Balgangadhar Tilak, MK Gandhi and Bhagat Singh were some of the illustrious freedom fighters who were charged with sedition by the British rulers. More recently Vaiko of Tamilnadu was charged under sedition laws for defending the rights of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Internationally renowned Doctor and Human Rights activist Binayak Sen was charged under sedition laws for speaking against Salwa judum and extra-judicial actions of the BJP ruled Chattisgarh state. It seems British Raj in India has not at all ended but merely outsourced the administration to Indians.
The constitution of India loftily states that this country is a secular republic, if one goes by that claim, then the ones who demolished the Babri Mosque, those who killed thousands of Muslim brothers and sisters during Godhra riots, the honorable judges who gave the verdict on the basis of faith should be charged with sedition. Has not the Indian administration that uses military force against the tribals of Central India not seditious for violating the constitutional guarantees of these people?
Gandhi to Nehru, Periyar to Ambedkar, Bhagat Singh to Bharathiyar, Jinnah to Netaji all demanded AZADI to establish Justice which was seen by the British Imperialists as Seditious. If Arundathi Roy is guilty of sedition for defending the concept of Justice for all then the word ‘JUSTICE’ itself is seditious. Accepting the ‘Right of Self Determination’ of the Kashmiri nation is the minimum democratic step that India can take. If at all India is a DEMOCRACY, then that Democracy should mean ‘JUSTICE FOR ALL- OPPRESSION OF NONE’
Venkat
New Socialist Alternative, Chennai.
Such a great post . I really happy to visit this post. It is very informative post for me.