Dubai: Time for Bharatiya Janata Party to #QuitIndia? Some Indian Twitter users think so. What started as a social media protest supporting Indian farmers, snowballed into an outcry by many regular Indian citizens against the policies of the country’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Followers of the All India Kisan Sabha, the peasants front of the Communist Party of India, took to social media today, to protest against “anti-farmer”, “pro-corporate” policies of the Narendra Modi government, also marking August 9 as the 76th anniversary of the Quit India Movement that demanded an end to British Rule of India.
Twitter user @Tkays11 wrote: “There is no growth of the nation without the growth of our farmers... #BJPGovtQuitIndia.”
Some Twitter users saw the absurdity in the mistreatment of farmers as compared to garlanding convicts accused of mob lynching and violence.
Twitter user @ShoshitBoli posted: “Water cannons on teachers and farmers, flowers for #Kanwariya vandals. That’s #BJP government for you. #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
Soon, people were listing failures of the Modi government and questioning the Prime Minister about his unfulfilled promises.
Tweep @ShamilManzor wrote: “#BJPGovtQuitIndia why? 1. Looting from poor and rewarding the rich, 2. destroying the integrity of the nation and making us a laughing stock in front of the world, 3. lying to the people, 4. not fulfilling a single promise, 5. leaving farmers to rot.”
@tittoantony pointed out: “Children are dying of starvation in the capital of the country. But BJP government think we need to build temple and maintain cows as priority. #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
@CarDroidusMax posted: “For BJP, gauraksha lynchmobs are fair, kanwariya violence is fair but farmers demanding fair price is an ‘unnecessary issue’. It’s high time #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
Tweep @saileenas noted: “Who does this government serve? Certainly not farmers and adivasis (tribes) who are constantly fighting for their rights. The exploiters have changed, the exploited remain the same.”
Another Twitter user, @Advaidism shared reports about a groundnut scam in Gujarat in which some officials of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and Gujarat State Co-Operative Cotton Federation Limited (GUJCOT) along with local politicians and middlemen allegedly stole and sold off the groundnut procured from farmers to oil mills.
The tweep posted: “It’s raining scams in BJP ruled states. 31,500 sacks, each containing 35 kg of groundnut, were found to contain huge quantity of pebbles and sand. #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
Modi’s slogan “Acche Din”, which means good days was also discussed. Twitter user @Suvarna_Haridas highlighted: “Modi’s acche din took 36,000 farmers lives in three years! That’s 33 suicides every day! #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
Twitter user @RRPMalayil wrote: “Violence and cruelty can never solve a problem & it is peace and non-violence which always win, @narendramodi said during his show #MannKiBaat but his police arrested and detained soldiers agitating peacefully and protesting farmers were killed in Mandsaur in police firing. #BJPGovtQuitIndia”
