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| Similarities between 2008 mass upsurge in Jammu and Egyptian revolution | | | NEHA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Feb 12: Hosni Mubarak, who ruled Egypt with an iron hand for over three decades and deprived the people of their civil and political rights, stepped down on Friday as the country's President and handed over power to the army capitulating under mass protests sweeping the country's streets for the last 18 days. He and his family members fled to Sharm-el-Sheikh before reluctantly surrendering power. He had to go. Tahrir Square, which was the epicenter of the anti-Mubarak mass protests, erupted in joy with thousands and thousands of people shouting "Egypt is Free." Earlier throngs of people had gathered in cities across the country, with their anger and frustration mounting. "Mubarak must go! He is finished!" protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square shouted, as a sea of people waved red-white-and-black Egyptian flags." They also shouted: "Oh, Mubarak, be patient! The people will dig your grave." They had also encircled the Presidential Palace.
What happened in Egypt during these 18 eventful days could be compared with what happened in Jammu between June and August 2008, although the issues which brought the people of Jammu and Egyptians on the streets in their thousands were different. In Egypt, the people, cutting across political lines and including men, women, children, office-goers, workers, professionals and who not, rose in revolt against Dictator Mubarak and demanded his dismissal and restoration of democracy. Some people, however, say that the members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who also joined the popular movement, took part in the movement in order to give Islamic orientation to the Egyptian politics and society. Still the fact remains that the movement was spontaneous and it was directed both against Mubarak and the Americans, considered to be the supporters of the unpopular Mubarak.
But more than that, there was no particular leader to lead the revolting Egyptians. It was in a sense a leaderless movement. In other words, it was essentially a people's movement. Mubarak was destined to go and he went. In the process, at least one dozen protestors lost their lives and over 600 suffered injuries. There were no arrests. The Army also maintained restraint. A few journalists were arrested but released in no time under international pressure. The Friday collapse of Mubarak's government could be described as an epoch-making Friday.
In Jammu, the people, cutting across party lines and rising above religious considerations and including men, women, children, lawyers, professionals, traders and merchants, industrials, hotel owners, restaurant owners, dhabawallas, vendors, daily wagers, auto drivers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, tea stall owners and intellectuals, revolted against the Congress-led coalition government, demanded dismissal of the government and recall of the State Governor. The role of the Jammu-based media persons, like the role of the Egyptian media persons, was also very significant. The basic demand of protestors in Jammu was: Restore the Baltal land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). However, here in Jammu, the people had to remain on the roads for more than 60 days. They, like the Egyptians, protested carrying national flag in their hands and shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Indian Army Zindabad." Here in Jammu, a dozen-odd people also lost their rivals and hundreds of protestors suffered injuries, some of them fatal, but, unlike Egypt, over .8 million people, including men, women, children and students, went to the jails across the Jammu province. Though there was an organization called Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti (SAYSS), which started the land-restoration movement, yet it was basically a people's movement. Left to the Samiti leadership, it would have withdrawn the movement much earlier compromising the people's sentiment. It was the people's pressure that resulted in the collapse of the State Government and restoration of the snatched land to the SASB. Again, here in Jammu, like Egypt, the government did try to sabotage the movement by using its men, but, like the Mubarak government, utterly failed. Instead, the policy of senseless oppression boomeranged, with more and more people joining the movement. The Jammu movement too was epoch-making.
What happened in Egypt on Friday and what the nation witnessed in Jammu in 2008 should awaken the NC-Congress coalition government in the state. It is imperative. The people of Jammu province are also, like the Egyptians, fed up with the discriminatory policies. They also want restoration of people's democracy in the Jammu province. Failure of the state government to dispense justice to the people of Jammu province may force them to create the 2008-like situation. And, if that happens, the results would be similar to ones the world witnessed in Egypt. Delhi should also learn lessons from Egypt and turn its attention towards Jammu. For, it is extremely likely that the angry people may repeat Egypt in Jammu. |
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