Farmers' Agitation: The Regime's Gameplan: The Hope and the Looming Disaster

[Sukla Sen]

The evolving gameplan is now clearer than ever it had been.

I. In case of any organised protest of significance against the state's move to oppress and loot the real flesh-and-blood people, disrupt by deploying agents, witting or unwitting, triggering violence.

II. Deploy the media to put the blame on the protesters.

III. Grotesquely distort the picture, raise the pitch, brand the protesters "anti-people" and "anti-national".

IV. Allege grand "conspiracy".

IV. Armed with that alibi, come down heavily on the protesters, apply anti-terror laws against the leaders - with the judicial apparatus firmly backing up.

V. The first major application, let's not forget, was Kashmir.

The case against trashing of the Article 370 - almost 18 months over, still pending with the Supreme Court.

Kashmir was, however, taken as a case of usual exception.

VI. Now, in parallel with "Indianisation of Kashmir" is progressing "Kashmirisation of India".

VII. The method - still in its infancy, was, in mainland India, first applied in case of Bhima-Koregaon; a grand plot - by now only few would recall, to assassinate the Prime Minister, had been alleged.

VIII. Then a variant - further develped, applied in case of the anti-CAA protests.

IX. Now, on an even larger scale, against the agitating farmers.

X. Unless it can be effectively resisted, it'd be used to silence any protests against the brutal roll-out of the NPR-NRC - with even way larger consequences.

XI. "Kashmirisation of India" will get accomplished.

XII. Make no mistake.

The way the roads leading to Delhi are being nailed and massive barricades being erected coming on top of disconnection of internet connectivity, water and electricity supply to the camps of the agitating farmers on Delhi borders together with orchestrated brutal attacks by men in uniform and without uniform cannot but bring to one's mind the run-up to August 4-5 2019 in Kashmir.

There's an uncanny similarity.

Of course, it's not all that easy - at least as yet, to treat the mainland, or a chunk of it, the way Kashmir is treated.

Moreover, the over two-months long confrontation has already attracted considerable global attention. 

Nevertheless.

It's, however, quite heartening the farmers' massive and growing resistance has, as of now, successfully halted the further roll-out of the plan - point IV onwards.

It's a precarious and unstable equilibrium, right now.

To be sure, greater and greater mobilisation of support for the ongoing resistance - on the streets, in the social media and every other accessible space, including state legislatures and, especially, the national parliament - regardless of the numbers, is called for.

This is perhaps the last hope for recovering - the fast collapsing, Indian democracy.

One just can't afford to lose it.

Sukla