REVOLUTION AND PROTEST

A revolution against a governing body shall only be considered complete and successful when the body is not only removed but is replaced by a more effective and a more efficient one. An incomplete revolution is probably a more dangerous state than the previous one. Thus when the people decide to revolt, they must ensure that their revolt is not just well organized but is also farsighted.

Protests and revolts might have become a common occurring today. In India or more precisely in Delhi, the situation is so grim that even the governing elites are equally taking part in protests leave alone the non governing individuals.

The requisites for both, a protest and a revolt are

a)      Intent

b)      planning

a protest/revolt done with the intent to better the existing state of affairs in a particular territory or a particular state is patriotism but when the same is fueled with an intent to seize power for oneself, then such an act amounts to terrorism. The person who heads the revolt and also those who follow him and support him should be clear of what the leader intents to do.

Next comes planning, planning a protest/revolt refers to that stage wherein the modes and the severity of the protest is defined. At this stage it is also crucial to decide the future or the post protest/revolt period.

Before we proceed further, what basically needs to be understood is the difference between a protest and a revolution.

A Protest may be defined as a ‘short term display of anger in pursuit of certain demands in various forms. A protest may or may not be headed by an individual and the impacts of the protest are generally limited to the sector concerned with the protest.’

A revolution on the other hand can be defined as ‘an organized and a planned protest in a wider sphere. A revolution is not against a particular sector or section of governance instead it aims at the complete replacement of the governing machinery with another. The impacts of a revolution, unlike a protest, are long lasting and in some cases even everlasting. It is necessary for a revolution to be led by one or more leaders’ it can also be defined as ‘heightened or a highly magnified protest. 

The lokpal andolan or the revolt in Delhi against the UPA government spearheaded by Mr. Anna Hazare and his colleagues Mr. Arvind Krjriwal and Mrs. Kiran Bedi is a fine example of an incomplete revolution. Mr. Anna Hazare had initiated the andolan as a protest, demanding amendments and additions for a more transparent governance in our country. But the protest and more importantly its fallouts as we see today put the entire movement somewhere between a protest and a revolution. It can also be called an over extended protest or a half done revolution. Thus the lokpal movement unknowingly turns out to be the trigger which has initiated nationwide a series of political events.

The Lokpal andolan was a failure not in the department of popularity, the movement gained a significant support of the masses. Neither revolution nor any protest in the history of independent India had witnessed the gathering of such humungous volumes of living organisms in a specific area as was seen during the lokpal andolan.  Thus as previously stated, the movement succeeded in mobilizing the masses which indeed is the most essential part of any movement/ protest or a revolution.

The intention of the leader behind the movement was purist and patriotic. But those of Mr. Kejriwal weren’t. The movement was a failure also because it could not curtail itself to a mere protest and turned out to be a revolt. Hence the movement failed because it

a)      Lacked pure and patriotic intentions on the part of one of its leader &

b)      There was minimal or no planning at all

As mentioned above, the fallouts of the lokpal andolan have rippled the Indian politics ever since. The biggest of all was the Aam Aadmi Party headed by Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal gained popularity after the Anna Hazare movement and he decided to use the same to fulfill his political aspirations. Kejriwal’s ambitions were big enough to be fulfilled by joining a pre-existing party, moreover the ground was also ready after the movement and Kejriwal decided to best use it. He launched the AAP which was supposed to be composed of the common man and of those who would stand against corruption.

The party just like the movement of Anna Hazare managed to touch the nerves of the people and turned out to be a hit amongst the people. This success only encouraged Kejriwal to dream bigger. He now dreams to be the Prime Minister of our country and probably also the dictator later on.

People gave Kejriwal a clear mandate in the latest conducted elections in the national capital. The blind support which the Kejriwal led AAP received was not just mandate but the conclusion of the long initiated but never concluded revolution of Anna Hazare. Every revolution must be carefully and completely concluded. The Anna Hazare movement ended haphazardly, the government decided to consider the proposed bill and to amend the constitution accordingly, the leader broke his hunger strike and the mob disappeared. But the revolution was far from over. The fire was not completely set of. Every citizen of this country had since then been carrying that spark only proper fanning and fuel was required to combine all the sparks into a wild fire. Kejriwal managed to do the needful and utilized the energy created to accomplish his desires. The movement which Anna Hazare had initiated ended up with the establishment of Kejriwal’s government in Delhi. The establishment of Kejriwal led government could also have been a true success of the movement but power corrupted Kejriwal and he no longer fights against corruption or for the common man. He is instead fighting for his own survival in the Indian politics.

Delhi has been a priced possession of our country. The national capital is not only a highly advanced city or a home to millions of individuals; it is also the city which has witnessed major political upheavals and is deeply connected with the heart of every individual. Today due to our lack of political sense and a mirage of a corruption free country has ended up in a major blunder. We have unknowingly handed over our beloved city into the hands of those who shall use it only for their personal benefits. Ever since Kejriwal has been in control of Delhi, the development of the city has come to a standstill. The same person now eyes a control over the entire country but we still have a chance to prevent that from happening. Kejriwal and the AAP is an example of the evils of an unorganized revolution. Diverting from my earlier statement I would like to state that ‘There is nothing like revolution half done, the revolution may loose steam in the midst and may seem to be over but its never so. The revolution only hibernates and it remains so until it is picked up from that point and carried forward by someone as opportunist as Kejriwal. There are only unplanned and unorganized revolutions and protests’

- Umang, student Political Science