Shiban Khaibri
shibankhaibri@gmail.com
Without mincing words, real transformation of our country has started tangibly since 2014, many an eyebrow raising over it in awe or in scorn notwithstanding . With the cooperation and the intrinsic will of the people, feeling such a positive change , the process is expected to get going with full gusto despite all sorts of impediments from forces within inimical to such a change coupled with the active support to such forces from what we call deep state tool kit , foreign ‘forces’ social media , Sorosian blessings and the like. Now, from foreign lands and by persons settled and quite well off in these foreign countries , floating on social media something like Cockroaches’ Party demonstrates the intentions of such promoters . We cannot take it any serious on the face of it except as it all is claimed to be a satirical “movement” online . It can, however, at best be termed as a well designed camouflage to spread mistrust, confusion, frustration, negativity, insecurity and even inciting sentiments among the Gen Z of the population. It could graduate into hate and once hate is sown, it finds several ways of catharsis. Let the relevant data of how best our young human resources are doing not be made a mention of as that would never satisfy those who are bent upon painting everything bleak and , therefore, exploiting the situation under the alibi of unemployment , inflation etc . That does not mean that enough is not required in the country to address the problems of unemployment , better education, healthcare and prices under control. A comparison with other countries, mostly advanced, of how the country was moving ahead despite many challenges, will reveal that things are moving fast in the right direction.
The period from 2014 till date witnessed not a single scam, no financial scandal , no malpractices, no kickbacks etc , instead , a good quantum of fakeries in various forms were detected – fake NGOs, fake companies, fake ration cards, fake LPG connections, fake MGNERGA cards, fake students and fake teachers . The list is long. Cockroaches chosen for any dreamt “movement” can best be termed as a cheap entertainment but it is said that lot many entertainers have been found to be insecure because it is the perfect camouflage for insecurity. We could also feel that choosing the cockroach for whatever purpose, reflects the choice of people with prosaic tastes and blurred vision – what about the issue of hygiene by promoters – since cockroaches are associated with dampness and filth of bathrooms and lavatories where they breed and grow and multiply fast .They are clumsy, diseases ridden and filth dwelling insects . Cockroaches and lizards are vehicles of uncleanness, poverty and shame . Lizards used here is intentional as, with the ever plummeting standard of politicking in this country by most of the opposition parties and incessantly targeting an innocent but strong hardworking honest PM, lizards too could be used in the near future for drawing scornful, deriding , mischievous and perverted analogies. Analogy of snakes has already been made by a Congress leader while addressing an election rally in Assam last month. With the graph of ”followers” of cockroaches’ gang reported to have increased during the first three days , the bubble has burst with a big bang within the next three and now it is nowhere. Hence a three days bubble. Such an ephemeralness of a new disruptive experiment , read movement, evokes pity .
Coinciding with this “Tamasha” was the clarion call given by AAP supremo Kejriwal to the NEET students, ” Why do not you stand up, if Gen Z in Bangladesh and Nepal can change their governments , why can’t you , this country is yours” . No doubt , NEET students suffered and the repeated paper leaks need to be checked with a heavy hand and accountability fixed but the concerned Neta is more interested in changing the present government just like it happened in our neighbouring two small countries where arson, loot and violence and loss of human lives occurred and not for any concern for the students . That is the tragedy and raises questions on the fate of democracy and rule of the constitution in this country , should such leaders wield power to rule this country. Needless to mention, how many leaders from how many political parties , frantically keep expecting that the virus of the Bangladesh and Nepal violence as a means to change governments could spread here too but it can never happen. Here too , Gen Z plays its part but in a different way. Just see how millions –men, women, young and old – of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers 2 and 1, all participated in West Bengal peacefully, democratically and lawfully but forcefully to change a government that had not delivered as expected during its three terms. Without any violence, intimidation, coercion, threat or allurement , a revolution took place recently in Bengal which will go down in history as an epoch making event for our vibrant democracy to be remembered for decades and decades.
However, Gen Z like ”force” is still their last hope, admittedly – the last one– of a desired redemption and “political rehabilitation” till some new political conniption is invented — to rise and come on streets to “save democracy” and to “protect the constitution”. It is not difficult to decipher this worn out and overused stereotype rhetoric of “saving democracy and constitution” ,both getting strengthened like never before , however, it only means to unseat and remove as soon as possible , the democratically and constitutionally elected Prime Minister of the country – Narendra Modi – who is elected to the constitutionally highest executive post of the country for the third consecutive term. He appears to them, just like a super batsman who is not bowled out by any of the Yorkers, bouncers, spin or fastest delivery , nor hit wicket and not run out. The dilemma , therefore, is how to declare him as ”out”. Gen Z is seen as their saviours . Modi’s detractors , haters, baseless fault finders and not necessarily the critiques and self styled aspirants for the coveted seat , shiver with fear over the prospects and rather possibility of a ”fourth term ” too for Modi Ji -then what? A glimpse or a cursory peep into that actually happening lies in the 2027 outcome of the UP Assembly elections. Let us wait and see.
Recently , Rahul Gandhi announced with resolution that Modi government would “collapse” within the next year , exactly in the same way as he had said it in early 2024, ”take it from me, Modi is not going to be the PM in May 2024 , we have done what we had to in this context ”. What does he mean and by saying so publicly ? On the contrary , a senior advocate and RS member Kapil Sibal feels “ashamed to live in a country this is what happens and the party in power uses all means to destroy the foundations of democracy.” Well, the noted advocate has right to express himself as he feels but a few questions , very pertinent and cardinal ones, arise. When 5 lakh original inhabitants of Kashmir – The Kashmiri Pandits- were persecuted and forcibly hounded out of Kashmir , preceded and followed by killings, arson, rapes, massacres and the like and such exodus and genocide (akin to) are pointing fingers towards all those leaders and intellectuals and Human Rights champions and Rudaalis (professional mourners) over their criminal silence . Mr. Sibal did not feel ashamed then , why ? For the last 36 years these persecuted people are not settled back and politicians and legal luminaries like Kapil Sibal may kindly share their role and contribution in causing some amelioration of their plight and providing justice to them.
When after 2021 in West Bengal , massive violence and targeting innocent people mostly Hindus took place , who in thousands had to migrate to “safer ” places , no one felt ashamed to live in this country, why?
When MP Murmu’s head was struck by a stone making him bleed profusely, no one felt ashamed. When JP Nadda’s cavalcade was attacked, no one felt ashamed. When last year , Murshidabad witnessed attacks on Hindus forcing many to leave , no one was ashamed. In Gaziabad, one 17 year innocent boy Surya Chauhan was recently mercilessly butchered , In Uttam Nagar Delhi a 26 year old Tarun Kumar was killed on Holi this year but no one from so many so called secular leaders of their parties expressed being ashamed to live in this country. They did not even condemn such killings not to speak of conducting political tourism outside the victims’ houses. Shocking, this one sided traffic for vote bank and feeling “ashamed” to live in this country.
However, in this country , where non violence has always been upheld , physically assaulting anyone should be condemned but selective , choosy, cleverly picked instances alone should not be the criteria of either criticism or feeling ashamed to live in this country.
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