Greenpeace shutdown: Why Modi government does not care for dissent

The NDA government continues its attack on dissent. Its attempt to ban the noted international NGO Greenpeace India chapter by questioning its accounts as it did for the prestigious Ford Foundation, has been stayed by the Madras High Court. Similarly, the former Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising's human rights advocacy firm Lawyers Collective has been targeted for allegedly receiving Rs 11 crore in violation of the FCRA. Surprisingly, this charge was not made initially by the ministry of home affairs, but was based on a private complaint by a Jaipur resident, Raj Kumar Sharma. This is clearly not the approved procedure, but for the Sangh Parivar anything goes.

In the meanwhile, the witch hunt against human rights defender Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand continues. So does a case against Sanjeev Bhatt, a former Gujarat IPS officer. A number of activist NGOs have lost their FCRA clearance, and many others are under attack on the basis of flawed and concocted evidence. At the same time, NDA supported NGOs have increased and flourish often with state funding. Even political leaders are sought to be brought down as in the recent case against Rahul Gandhi, allegedly for claiming to be a British national in a business transaction years ago.

But for BJP leaders, there are a separate set of rules. HRD Minister Smriti Irani has been accused of giving different educational qualifications in three affidavits filed with the Election Commission. This charge is well known, but only now has a Metropolitan Magistrate in Delhi ruled that the Election Commission and Delhi University must submit the necessary documentation. Of course, even if her claims are correct, she is scarcely fit to be the HRD minister with only an undergraduate degree. She did after a weekend jaunt in Yale University, claim she had got a Yale degree. She was not even reprimanded. But in the NDA anything goes.

While writers, artistes, filmmakers have taken on the Union government, the harassment is continuing, based on partisan considerations. It is clear that this attack on dissent will continue, despite the setback in the Bihar elections. Citizens must be ready to defend democratic rights, by making the broadest alliances. It is high time for secular, democratic unity.