Congress airbrushes own Netas out of video hailing 'organic' Shaheen Bagh protest

Exuding their support for the women of Shaheen Bagh, the Congress party in a video lauded the protesters who have turned the area into a site of resistance against the government. In a tweet, the grand old party lambasted those who tag the women of Shaheen Bagh as 'anti-national' for protesting against the contentious Citizenship Amended Act (CAA). Moreover, equated the "peaceful" protest to a new kind of 'Satyagraha' that was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. 

Taking on the BJP, the Congress party said, "Those who call the women of Shaheen Bagh “anti-national” have no comprehension of what nationalism means. These women have peacefully and democratically voiced their opposition, they have united India, inspired the youth & reinvigorated the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi." In an attempt to appropriate the protests, senior Congress leaders --Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor and Mani Shankar Aiyar visited the protest site in the last week, however, they were not included in the video shared by the Congress party. 

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With the impending Delhi Assembly polls, the stage saw an evident hijack by political parties including--Congress, AAP, AIMIM and the Left. Concerned over the politicisation of the Shaheen Bagh agitation, one of the organisers and a student of JNU, Sharjeel Imam on January 2 announced to withdraw the movement on social media.

Shaheen Bagh protests 

One month on, women have been at the forefront of the sit-in protest, ever since mid-December, at the Shaheen Bagh area to oppose CAA and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). Occupying the stretch of Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area, people have been protesting, undeterred by the cold winters of the national capital. However, now frequented by politicians across party lines, the protest site at Shaheen Bagh is feared to have been converted into a political hub for leaders to propel their party's agendas. 

Apart from the political issues, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to the District Magistrate of South East Delhi that the children at the protest site "may suffer from mental trauma" as a result of "rumours and miscommunication". In this regard, the apex child rights body has asked authorities to identify and arrange to counsel for children seen at protests. 

"We received a complaint that children are traumatised that they will not be able to show their documents, and acting on it the NCPCR wrote to the District Magistrate and asked (the official) to identify and arrange to counsel for children, seen at protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Shaheen Bagh, and their parents," NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told PTI on Tuesday.

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The Delhi Police in repeated appeal has asked the agitators of Shaheen Bagh to clear the road no 13A citing various complaints regarding the road blockade. In a tweet, Delhi Police said, "Their (Students') parents have expressed deep anxiety in view of forthcoming Board examinations. Daily commuters, local residents and businesspersons are also facing acute harassment. We once again appeal to the protesters at Shaheen Bagh to clear the road and restore normal traffic.

Apart from the involvement of children and the issues of road blockade, BJP's Amit Malviya stirred a controversy by claiming that the protesters at Shaheen Bagh were paid Rs. 500 per day. In retaliation to the allegation, two women Nafisa Bano and Shahzad Fatma sent a defamation notice to BJP's IT Cell head. In the legal notice, Rs.1 crore in damages and an apology have been sought as it has been alleged that Malviya’s actions constitute an offence of defamation.