Similarity between Chauri-Chaura and violence by farmers in Delhi

What happened during Republic Day was nothing less than an embarrassment for all of us. Debate is now not on whether farmers are right or government is right with respect to Farm Laws, but debate is now on why farmers did this while they were peaceful for last two months near Delhi borders.

This incident remind me of a similar incident which took place close to hundred years back during Non Cooperation movement. Movement was on a full swing and was getting overwhelming support across the nation. But incident which took place in Chauri- Chaura shattered Gandhiji which prompted him to immediately withdraw movement. This move had been criticised by so many people like Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, but one must need to ponder why Gandhiji took this decision because reason behind this decision and reason why violence took place on Republic day is almost near to same.

When a peaceful protest gets turned into a violent incident, it directly means people have not understood the means and ways of protest. People under the guidance of leaders do protest peacefully but inherently they have not accepted this by their heart and that is why whenever they get their chance, their own method of protest comes out in open. That is what happened during Chauri- Chaura and now on Republic day.

Next big issue why Gandhiji after Chauri- Chura immediately withdrew movement was first as I mentioned because people did not understand true meaning of Satyagrah and Non-violence and second reason is because a violent protest can easily be suppressed by authorities. This is what we can witness now, more than hundred FIRs have been lodged in various police stations. Police and Administration will not get any better chance to frame and target top leaders of movement and initiate proceeding against them. This is also a right moment to sow seed of divisiveness among farmers because certain sections are not happy the way protest has turned into violent and that is why many factions have started turning thier guards down and returning to their homes.

The biggest turnaround event now farmers protest has taken is that they have lost people’s faith. A large segment of population is not happy how police personnel have been beaten and how our own historical structure has been damaged. People’s support was the major factor behind farmer’s protest’s succes so far and now they have lost it in certain extent.

Another reason for dilution of protest is the rise of fear. Police is now in its full mood to arrest all those people who engaged into violence. Who are they? Now this question has a tricky answer. This can be anybody who is protesting on the border and that is the exact fear people must be having now that they can charged for violence so they must leave for their home now to avoid what may be their worst fate.

But the biggest failure of all these incidents is that Leadership could not make understand people about importance of peaceful protest, if they could it had not happened. Violence is very easy but peace is certainly the toughest part. When you are clearly watching that your cause is right and then too government is listening to your concerns and mainstream media is making false allegations of involvement of terrorist elements in the protest, then certainly people who are associated with protests will have a feeling of rage. To suppress this feeling and adopting method of peace is not easy. What I think, people associated with this protest failed to do this and that is why violence took place.

Now farmer’s protest have turned upside down in a single day, Let us see how things are going to get unfolded in next few days. But yes, it would be very hard to get into normal position again and it would also be very hard for everyone of us to see farmers going back too empty handed because still there are a large section of farmers who have genuine concerns with the bills and for this they have suffered harsh winters, spending day and night on roads and one event entirely wiped out thier hard efforts into nothing. Hope, we can have fortune to hear some good news in near future regarding farmers and farm bills too.