Amit Shah Asks People To Vote So That The ‘Current Is Felt At Shaheen Bagh’. So The Resilience Of These Women Does Scare You!
Shaheen Bagh isn’t just a place of protest anymore – it’s a place to show dissent, it’s the flagbearer of women’s power and it’s symbol of strength, resistance and power. With thousands of women sitting and braving the cold, day in and day out, protesting against the CAA, we have been shown a different and more powerful side to the women of this country, who refuse to bow down and stay on the sidelines anymore.
And it is such courage, determination and deafening silence of solidarity that has us hopeful and excited. But the tremors of dissent are reaching and shaking those in power, the ones that have dismissed Shaheen Bagh till now. Week after week, these women have stayed put, voicing their protest and expressing their dissatisfaction and they can no longer be ignored. But also, they aren’t going to be going home with empty promises.
Coming across as an act of resistance and rebellion, their stance and strong opposition hasn’t been sitting right with a lot of nationalists around. Including the government itself, that has clearly been giving off hints of dispersing them, for their strength and conviction has started to scare them. And we say this after the recent statement made by Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah, where he while addressing the Delhi audience said, “press the button with such anger that the current is felt at Shaheen Bagh.”
Also Read : Thousands Of Women Turned Up At Mumbai’s Anti-CAA Protest. All Around The Country, Women Are Taking Charge
Only those who despise Gandhiji would abuse the protesters at Shaheen Bagh. Shaheen Bagh represents the essence of Mahatma Gandhi.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 27, 2020
Mocking the protest at Shaheen Bagh amounts to mocking Ahimsa and Satyagraha.
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) January 27, 2020
He went on to say, “Your vote to the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate will make Delhi and the country safe and prevent thousands of incidents like Shaheen Bagh,” and we feel quite compelled to ask why Shaheen Bagh is an ‘incident’ to him. Because as far as we know, all it is, is symbol of unity and peaceful dissent, and last we checked, we are still entitled to show our anger against the government without being branded anti-nationalists. Then again, maybe we checked too long ago.
We do understand though, how hard it must be for them to see that women have decided to fight at the forefront, and not back down even after several hostile attempts to scare them into submission. But it is about time they realise how it’s no longer a fight about the CAA anymore, it is much bigger than that. Shaheeh Bagh isn’t just reflective of the protests being made for secularism, but also reflective of the women strengthening up the courage to speak up, not just about this but also otherwise.
Congress leader P Chidambram, in the same vein tweeted, “Shaheen Bagh represents the essence of Mahatma Gandhi. Getting rid of Shaheen Bagh amounts to getting rid of Ahimsa and Satyagraha,” and we agree. In fact, the movement that started with a couple of women wanting to show their stance against the CAA, has now travelled across states, as women in Mumbai recreated Shaheen Bagh in the streets of Madanpura in Mumbai, inspired by the women in Delhi.
Maharashtra: Women hold protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) in Madanpura, Mumbai Central. pic.twitter.com/ZcwFzd0T82
— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2020
Expressing her opinions on the matter, a law student Fatima said, “You should love your country but it is not necessary that you also love your government. Chandrashekhar Azad has been detained, he is fighting for all of us. He gets detained wherever he goes…we are sitting here for people like Azad and for the women of Shaheen Bagh. We won’t move from here.”
She further commented, “he government is not taking any stand on it (CAA). They have stated that they won’t take it back so it is dangerous for us as this law is against the Constitution. Nowhere it is written in the Constitution that a Bill can be made based on caste and religion. A few women had started this protest, and now we have also joined it. We are holding the protest after getting inspired by the women of Shaheen Bagh,” and we are glad that finally women are emerging out to be the biggest strength and voice of reason in this narrative.
