Remarks by Bora and Bhushan give fresh ammo to BJP for stepped-up counter-attack

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remark today (16 October) that the protests in Delhi by opposition Congress and its allies over the issue of SIR and a regime change in India along the lines of Bangladesh, it is the latest in a series of instances of BJP's growing counter-offensive against its rivals by using certain political forces in the neighbouring country.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Singh said "they openly say at press conferences that they have drawn inspiration from Bangladesh for regime change while another speaks openly about bringing down the government. This makes it clear that their only agenda is to dismantle democratic institutions and set the country on fire."

Lawyer and rights activist Prashant Bhushan had at a presser at the Press Club of India in Delhi on Thursday in the presence of CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke and AISA leader Neha Bora that they are seeking a regime change and that there is nothing wrong in it.      

Bhushan's remarks and All India Students' Association (AISA) national President Neha Bora's praise of Bangladesh's Gen Z-led movement against Sheikh Hasina, combined to provide ammo to BJP which then stepped up its attack on Thursday.

In a video message on October 14 to Bangladesh's Socialist Students Front, Bora extended a "red salute" to protesters in Bangladesh, drawing parallels between the movement that led to the ouster of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and youth-led protests in India against SIR and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"We present you with our red salute. And we know that the Gen-Z movement that we are seeing everywhere in this country first started in Bangladesh. And congratulations to you for showing us the way, for showing us and extending solidarity to the young people of this country," she said.

"We know that the movement that began in Bangladesh was for democratic and voter rights. Today the movement that the young people are participating in and leading is also a movement for democratic and voting rights," Bora said.

What further angered BJP were Bhushan's comments: "there will definitely be a regime change. We all want a regime change. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Clutching on to Bhushan's comments, BJP spokesman Pradeep Bhandari said at a press conference that Rahul Gandhi's objective was not political resistance but an attempt to undermine democratic institutions under the guise of anarchy.

 "Rahul Gandhi has made Neha Bora his poster girl, which means her views align with Rahul Gandhi's thoughts," Bhandari said.

Both Neha Bora's and Bhushan's remarks triggered a controversy. Does the comparison between Gen Z in Bangladesh and the ongoing protests in India refer to demands for fair elections or does it risk invoking the violent upheaval that led to the fall of Hasina government?

The question has also arisen if the Bangladesh example is relevant to India's ongoing political standoff and the larger issue of the  trajectory of the debate over democracy. Is the questioning of the functioning of existing democratic institutions compatible with efforts to overthrow them?

What has also been noted in political circles in India is the expression of support by National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Hasnat Abdullah, the key faces in the July, 2024 uprising in Bangladesh.