Gujarat's young and first-time legislator Jignesh Mevani, who has taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as any major political party so far, has made it to the Parliament Street, and dared the prime minister in his den. Standing a stone's throw away from Raisina Hill where the Prime Minister's Office is, Mevani said because of the way Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore and he crushed the BJP's ambitious target of 150 seats in the recent Gujarat assembly elections, they were being targetted by the Modi government. The main issue was the two crore jobs that Modi had promised, but not delivered on.
Mevani appears to have caught a bug, but he maintained he was fine. "It is the government that is now feverish," he said after the rally.
At a news conference on Friday last, Mevani had dared the prime minister saying the BJP would have a tough time in the next parliamentary elections, and announced a Yuva Hunkar rally for January 9. But between that Friday and Tuesday, there was major uncertainty, and Mevani himself seemed to be visible sometime and underground at other times, even as the capital was thick with rumours that he could be arrested any time.
The permission to hold the rally was withdrawn citing security and National Green Tribunal order, even as thousands had gathered at the proximity of the Jantar Mantar where elaborate arrangements had been made. Though smaller on scale, the spirit at the venue was reminiscent of the rallies of India Against Corruption with Anna Hazare at its helm. But hardly had over an estimated 1,500 policemen descended when people started moving away. Adding to this, police are said to have told news cameramen at the venue that the crowds were office goers soaking in the sunshine and watching some tamasha!
But when Mevani took the mike after former JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar and Assam farmers' leader Akhil Gogoi, he was cheered continuously. Mevani asked the crowds: "I have a Manusmriti in one hand, and a copy of the Constitution on the other. What will you choose? ". It was a question he had intended asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The dalit leader said there was a severe crisis of the kind they had never faced earlier. "We are facing fascism. In the last four years, in the name of love jihad, ghar wapasi and cow politics, people are suffering. Where are the two crore jobs? Where is the development? What about the rights of the dalits, adivasis and the poor? We want the prime minister to talk about these and address them," said Mevani. He wanted the government to tell the country why Chandrashekhar Azad of the Bhim Army was still in jail and being tortured, and why the caste-based clashes at Bhima-Koregaon happened.
The dalit leader referred to the death of farmers at the hands of the police in Madhya Pradesh, and said all the issues he is raising will be taken up in people's movements on the streets across the country and will also be raised in the Vidhan Sabha of Gujarat.
Mevani asserted that regardless of the government targetting him, he and his supporters will talk about the Constitution, and "hum the tune of love". We believe in democracy, he asserted.
Akhil Gogoi urged the crowds to prepare plans to throw out the Modi government. "Two crore illegal migrants, the Hindu-Bangladeshis will enter the country and be part of the BJP's vote banks. That is Modi's plan for Assam. The Northeast industrial investment policy has been scrapped. Where is the achhe din for us?," he asked
Former student leader Kanhaiya Kumar announced a "save democracy" programme that will include nationwide protests. He clarified that they were not against any religion, but were out to save the Constitution.
The rally organisers did not mind the fact that many people had gone away given the delay. They had uploaded the video of the rally and put it out on social media for larger reach.