The times we live in eerily echo the temperament of the colonial state, in terms of not only the suppression of civil liberties but also the economic exploitation that is built into the very fabric of the neoliberal Indian state. The blatant wielding of the colonial-era sedition law by the incumbent government and the framing of activists and journalists under the oppressive law is indicative of how, despite the democratic character of the neoliberal Indian state, it still functions as an extension of the power that the colonial government once exercised. The exploitation of the farmers and labourers in the face of rampant privatisation of the economy is a testament to how the core of both the colonial rule and the neoliberal Indian state is brazenly capitalist and exploitative.
It is in this light that protest as a mode of resistance within the colonial and the neoliberal contexts becomes significant. In the colonial context, the role played by Mahatma Gandhi in mass mobilisation and protests against the dominance of and exploitation by the colonial power assumes importance. The nature and character of the mass movements led by Gandhi, the socio-political milieu in which the protests were held and the way various identities were mobilised under the banner of the singular entity of the national struggle need to be juxtaposed with the contemporary socio-political conditions created by the neoliberal state and the very essence of the protests that take place within and against its framework.
On one hand the policies and practices of the Indian state reflect a colonial mindset with its crackdown on civil liberties, use of stringent laws to stifle dissent, establishing ways of controlling and censoring media, and the polarisation of identities. It seems to be following the colonial policy of divide and rule while using brute force against demonstrators and protestors. Yet, on the other hand, what cannot be ignored is the fact that the colonial rule was a foreign power that had to be challenged and dismantled in order to establish an independent national order whereas the neoliberal state is ostensibly a democratic arrangement that claims to serve the interests of its citizens.
To begin with, contemporary protests are arguably more fragmented and polarising than the mass mobilisations during the colonial period. The protests today are often short-lived, dealing with specific issues and do not involve a direct challenge to the prevalent system of power – in that the overthrow of the state is not their agenda – and rather seek to find accommodation of their rights within the exploitative system. The strikes by labour unions, farmers’ protests, among others, only place specific demands that, if met, will lead to the calling off of the protests with the all-pervasive system remaining intact.
Conversely, mass mobilisations under Gandhi, though reformist in their character, sought to challenge the very centre of the colonial power and destabilise it while also attempting to bring about social transformation in the process, one that is complete in nature. Furthermore, these mass mobilisations functioned as a unifying force where different identities merged under the umbrella of one national identity. One needs to be aware of the dangers of the nationalistic rhetoric and the rampant jingoism prevalent both in the polity and the society. Hyper-nationalism today is being countered by the assertion of one’s religious, cultural, and sexual identities through the medium of peaceful collective mobilisations. Therefore, rather than asserting a unified identity, the protests today seek to assert their socio-political specificities, thereby challenging and redefining the idea of an Indian itself.
At present Mahatma Gandhi’s image is, on one hand, used at protests to uphold the idea of satyagraha, the seeking of truth. On the other hand, his figure has been appropriated by the right-wing for its own political and ideological gains, especially for the purposes of international image-building, despite the fact that Gandhi was assassinated by a right-wing extremist Nathuram Godse, who continues to be glorified by certain pockets of the right-wing. While Gandhi is the symbol of truth and non-violence, his paternalistic condescension of the Dalits and upholding of Brahmin orthodoxy cannot be overlooked. Still, he continues to provide the moral impetus for peaceful protests against power, exploitation, and polarisation. His protests and their moral underpinnings assume greater importance today when the society is highly polarised and the Indian nation is being defined in exclusivist terms.
Source- wikimedia
Gandhi’s politics of protest was one of empowerment; it was based on the agency of people and the assertion of their right to control their own resources. The contemporary neoliberal politics is one of disenfranchisement and dispossession. Disempowering people of agency and control, it seeks to shrink any spaces marked by the possibilities of resistance to the system and its workings. The delegitimization of the demands of people is a part of the functioning of our postcolonial state. The protests in the neoliberal context, therefore, attempt to lay claim to everything, from rights to material resources, that was usurped from the marginalised and also to a clear and active project of dispossession that will reach fruition in the future should these protests not arise. The farmers’ movement against the Farm Bills of 2020 has been constantly undermined and tainted by those in power and the farmers’ demands invalidated and wrongfully projected time and again.
Source- wikimedia
In conclusion, it is pertinent to read Gandhi’s protests not just in the context of the colonial period but also in their abiding relevance in contemporary times. It would not be wrong to argue that the democratic state that India as a nation envisioned during the colonial period is far from being realised. Instead of an external power, we are today living under the rule of a government that privileges its own private interests (invested in huge private corporations) over public good. We are living in times when every space of dissent and institution of democracy is being hollowed out and the inward-looking nature of the current dispensation seems to be closing in upon the most disadvantaged sections of the society, thereby extinguishing the very spirit of justice and democracy. Hence, the protests that are currently unfolding are of paramount importance because they attempt to blow open the space that is being hijacked by the fascist tendencies of the state. Whether they succeed or not, what can surely be agreed upon is that they not only borrow from the Gandhian essence and model of protest but also dilate its scope and move beyond it. It is in the constant reimagining and reinvigorating of the old modes of resistance that there lies a more empowered, if not just, future for the Indian nation.
Hunardeep Kaur is a third year student of English Literature at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. She is interested in looking at the world through the lens of art, literature and culture. She finds solace in poetry and sunsets.