Thread.
One of the most beautiful moments during protests is the singing of the national anthem: the police has to stop nudging, and let people sing. It's the way the new year was brought in at Shaheen Bagh.
One of the most beautiful moments during protests is the singing of the national anthem: the police has to stop nudging, and let people sing. It's the way the new year was brought in at Shaheen Bagh.
From 2013 onwards, the BJP's approach has been to label critics as anti-nationals, to delegitimise the press as 'presstitutes', to ad-hominem liberals as 'libtards'.
The protests have taken the anti-nationals allegation card away from the BJP. They've reclaimed nationalism.
The protests have taken the anti-nationals allegation card away from the BJP. They've reclaimed nationalism.
In the same vein, the press has to reclaim its legitimacy and re-establish credibility (and it's being done by using facts to counter allegations, and calling truth to power), and liberals have to focus on liberal values (rights, freedoms, decentralisation, internationalism). But
there's still one card that the BJP has, and which strengthens its position among its voter base: that of labeling the protests as anti-Hindu. This angle has been tried (when Modi said you can recognize protesters by their clothes), and it will be tried again. Wait for it.
It's all they have left. To counter, it's important for those Hindus opposing to also reclaim Hinduism from the BJP, and to continue to emphasize the secular nature of the opposition to CAA-NRC.
