A campaign like Bharat Jodo (unite India) Yatra is essential to counter the conscious attempt made by the ruling BJP government to divide and rule India like the British, activist Yogendra Yadav on Sunday said, adding that the initiative brings together political parties and members of various peoples’ movements to counter the hegemony of the regime.
“We are not wedded to the Congress. [However] we extend our support to this initiative of the Congress. The country needs Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.
“Anyone taking on the BJP feels lonely and there is a need to break the spell to strengthen the hands of those who counter the regime,” he emphasised.
Dravidian Model
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Yadav said that India was being divided on various lines, including religion—particularly between Hindus and Muslims, COVID-19 pandemic, demonetisation and issues pertaining to school uniforms. The ruling party has decided to distract people in order to divide and rule. “We have a Central government that stands against constitutional values,” he charged.
The Constitution provides for a balance between the Centre and the State. A completely unitary form of government is against the Constitution and the spirit of the freedom movement and also the civilisation, he said.
“Federalism is not a threat to the country. India is built on regional identity. Any attempt to turn India into a unitary State will destroy India in the long run,” Mr. Yadav said.
The resurgence of DMK is a “bulwark” against BJP’s progress, he said. The DMK-led Tamil Nadu government follows the Dravidian model, which was based on regional pride, social justice and deep secularism or rationalism, he pointed out, adding that this model should be followed across the country.
Case against BJP
The BJP and the RSS have been trying to achieve unity by uniformity, he charged. “Rule of the land has become the rule of the bulldozer,” he said. During the pandemic, 99% of the people in the country became poorer but Adani and Ambani have become rich by 14 times and three times, respectively, he pointed out, adding that atrocities against Scheduled Castes have also gone up.
Noting that the number of government jobs have reduced, he claimed that it was an indirect means to not follow the reservation policy. Therefore, there was a need to create a bridge between political parties and peoples’ movements to counter the hegemony of this regime, he said.
Speaking about the Bilkis Bano case, Mr. Yadav said, “How can any civilisation watch something like this. It is degradation of our nation when rapists and murderers are garlanded. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Chief Minister of Gujarat have uttered a word in this regard.”
Speaking of the ‘freebie culture’, he said that it was a thoughtless and meaningless debate. The ruling class wants loan waivers and concessions but oppose poor people benefitting through welfare schemes, he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling it “revri culture”, he said that the only positive outcome of the debate was the North Indian delicacy ‘revri’ becoming popular. He wondered why the Supreme Court had given priority to the case on freebies when it should have given priority to the Electoral Bonds case.
