Two maps: Editorial on democratic dissent and the government’s response

Rhetoric and deliberations are not benign. They, quite often, are suggestive of the likely contours of competing political strategies. The rhetorical spin that has been given to the protests by the prime minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party thus provides glimpses of the line that the government will possibly take in terms of a response. Narendra Modi asserted, yet again, that India is the mother of democracy. But for Mr Modi, the gap between word and deed gets starker. A brutal police crackdown on the protesters, the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site — two leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party have been remanded in judicial custody — and, most tellingly, the government’s unwillingness to examine the serious charges that have been levelled against the chief election commissioner make it difficult for the country to be assured of the dispensation’s commitment to democratic principles. Is Mr Modi willing to bridge the chasm between rhetoric and action? A clearer picture of the government’s counterargument has also come from the BJP, which seems to be relying on two thrusts. First, it seeks to discredit the protesters as agents of anarchy; second, it is striving to burnish India’s democratic credibility by pointing to the ostensible manifestations of freedom in the country — the multiplicity of languages, an existing media as well as the deepening imprint of social media, among others.

The agitation has received a spirited response. But that does not mean that the Opposition does not have strategic quandaries to deliberate on. There is, for instance, the question of sustaining the demonstrations during the festive season without losing public support. Reclaiming Jantar Mantar as a site of protest and the larger — legal and political — battle to remove Gyanesh Kumar would need frequent deliberations. Little wonder then that some members of the Opposition along with civil society activists and student leaders met at Rahul Gandhi’s residence on Tuesday to discuss these issues. For the Opposition, the outcome of the protest is likely to hinge on a critical plane: its ability to launch a united movement on an issue that could well decide the future of Indian democracy. In the last 12 years, India’s Opposition, given the festering turf wars among its constituents, has usually spoken in different voices. This failure to act as a united force is the reason why it has lost public confidence. It no longer has the luxury to function as a divided house.