BJP Afraid Of Our Movement: Tushar Gandhi
“The BJP government was using police to suppress citizens out of fear of the movement": Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi
MUMBAI: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi on Sunday criticised the Maharashtra government over restrictions on protests, stating that the agitation would continue until the BJP’s ‘double-engine government’ was removed from power. He also said that the ongoing protests reflect the people’s ‘no-confidence motion’ against the government.
Alleging the misuse of government machinery, Gandhi said, “The BJP government was using police to suppress citizens out of fear of the movement. Those in power are afraid of the agitation. That is precisely why the police force was being used to stifle the voice of the citizens. Today’s police force has become a puppet dancing to the tune of the ruling dispensation. When our agitation triumphs, the police, too, will be liberated from this state of subservience.”
Gandhi, his daughter, and approximately 600 protesters were detained by Mumbai police on Saturday ahead of their demonstration at August Kranti Maidan in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party’s Jantar Mantar protest against the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. After eight hours of detention, he was eventually released.
“The case should have been registered only against me. That is my certificate of honour. They have placed me among the ranks of satyagrahis. I thank (Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis,” Gandhi said.
Gandhi vowed to organise similar protests across India every week until Gyanesh Kumar and the current government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped down.
Questioning the restrictions imposed on the protest, he urged courts to intervene. “Citizens are protesting in a disciplined and peaceful manner. At such a time, the court should direct the police to maintain peace,” said Gandhi.
Citing examples from the freedom struggle and Satyagraha, he slammed the government, stating, “If Mahatma Gandhi and Hutatma Bhagat Singh had sought permission from the then-British government to stage protests, the country would never have attained independence.”
Gandhi also criticized those in power who labeled the protest as anarchic. “The BJP is bound to view this protest as anarchy because it poses a direct challenge to their power,” he said.