All India Students Association (AISA) president, Neha Bora, who has become the face of youth protest against the Chief Election Commissioner, said on Tuesday that the BJP has brought together all its critics, repeatedly labelling them "anti-national", "Dimagi Naxals" and members of the "tukde-tukde gang", arguing that these labels have united people across political and social groups.
In an interview with India Today TV, Bora said the protests against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls had brought students, opposition parties and ordinary citizens together over concerns about democracy and citizens' voting rights.
"When I say, 'we the people versus the BJP', this 'we the people' has actually been consolidated by the BJP," Bora said, referring to the labels used against critics of the government.
She said people had been described at different times as "anti-national", "Dimagi Naxals", "andolanjivis", members of the "tukde-tukde gang" and the "Khan Market gang".
"All of these labels that the BJP has handed out to the common people from time to time, we are all united by the fact that we have been labelled by the BJP. And in one way, we are united because of the BJP," she said.
Bora argued that these labels had brought together people who might otherwise not have been united, adding that the perceived threat to democratic rights had become a common concern.
"If there weren't such a big threat to our very existence, to the very existence of Indian democracy, maybe we would not be united. But it's thanks to the BJP that we are united," she added.
'WE THE PEOPLE VERSUS BJP'
Neha Bora's remarks came amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR exercise, with opposition parties and student groups calling for joined and sustained agitation.
Asked whether the protests represented a united movement or separate efforts by different organisations, Bora said the demonstrations were part of a common fight.
"From yesterday's rally and today's press conference also, it is very clear that this fight is one fight. And this fight is also against one enemy. And that enemy is that of India. That enemy is that of democracy," she said.
She described the movement as a fight to protect the principle of universal adult franchise and the ability of citizens to participate in a democratic system.
Bora also defended the participation of students and activists in the agitation, arguing that their role in national politics should not be measured solely by their association with major political parties.
'WHY DON'T YOU LISTEN TO ELECTION COMMISSIONERS?'
Responding to the BJP's argument that allegations of vote theft are raised by opposition parties after losing elections, Bora questioned why the concerns raised by two Election Commissioners appointed by the BJP were not being addressed. The Opposition renewed its protests after an Indian Express report claimed that the two Election Commissioners had dissented on multiple occasions over decisions related to the SIR exercise.
Bora referred to emails allegedly sent by Election Commissioners to the Chief Election Commissioner and other officials, claiming that decisions were being taken unilaterally and that some decisions were being deferred.
"It's very funny that they are accusing the opposition or student activists like us, when the people who are talking about 'vote chori' and based on whose testimony there are wide protests in the entire country, are people who were appointed by the BJP, the Election Commissioners, along with Gyanesh Kumar," she said.
Bora alleged that the communications raised questions about how decisions were being taken within the Election Commission.
"You might not, I mean, the BJP might have a problem listening to the opposition party because the BJP sees them as political rivals, or the students of this country, because they see the students as political rivals," she said.
She added, "The fact of the matter is you don't listen to us. Why don't you listen to the very Election Commissioners that you appointed?"
'REPRESSION MEETS ANGER AND MOBILISATION'
Bora also defended the scale of the protests, arguing that the continued participation of demonstrators despite alleged police action showed that the agitation had struck a chord beyond student groups.
Asked whether the campaign against the SIR exercise would have the same public resonance as the earlier student movement against examination irregularities, she pointed to the turnout at protests and videos showing demonstrators allegedly being assaulted.
"When repression starts to meet anger and mobilisation, that's when the state should truly be afraid," she argued.
The AISA chief further said that the movement had expanded from demands linked to examination irregularities and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to broader concerns about voting rights.
"And that is why there is large-scale resonance, not just among young people, but everybody in this country," Bora said.
She also maintained that the right to vote was central to citizens' participation in governance, from local bodies to Parliament, and alleged that irregularities in the electoral process could undermine that participation.
ON AISA'S ROLE IN THE PROTEST
Asked whether the visibility she had gained through the protests could lead her to join a larger political party such as the Congress, Bora said she intended to remain associated with the CPI(ML) Liberation.
She rejected the suggestion that mainstream politics was defined exclusively by established national parties, arguing that student leaders and ordinary citizens leading movements were also shaping national political discourse.
“Their job is not to switch sides, but to make the side that they stand with stronger,” she said.
Bora also defended the relationship between AISA and the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), saying there was room for different organisations to work towards a common cause.
"If 500 more Cockroach Janata Parties also come about and thousand other organisations like AISA come about, there will still be space for people to come out, take leadership and save democracy," she said.
'IT WILL END WITH GYANESH KUMAR'S EXIT'
Asked about the endgame of the protests, Bora said the movement would continue until its demands were met.
"It's going to end with Gyanesh Kumar being ousted from office. It's going to end with a complete halt in SIRs," she affirmed.
She added that the agitation would deliver another “very big and definitive blow” to what she described as the extreme concentration of power under the current regime.
Bora also defended protests outside designated demonstration sites, arguing that the constitutional right to protest could not be restricted to specific locations.
"The Constitution guarantees us, gives us the right to protest anywhere. On any street, in front of any public office, in a park, anywhere," she said.
She accused the government of constricting democratic space and said the responsibility of citizens was to ensure that democracy remained alive.
According to Bora, the opposition and student groups are fighting to ensure that democracy stays alive.
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