The murderous attack on the students was a pre-planned affair has been exposed by a report that the RSS and ABVP cadres had exchanged WhatsApp messages before launching the attack. Though Amit Shah, Modi and other BJP leaders have been accusing the students of indulging in violence, Sunday’s incidents makes it crystal clear that the saffron members have in fact been behind all the violent incidents that took place across the name with the simple motto to silence the critics and also to give a bad name to the protest and its protagonists.

It is indeed a matter of shame for the government that the people are not ready to take the government at its word; they have even told the highest functionaries that their words and clarifications did not carry conviction. What is most unfortunate is the government on its part has not bothered to erase wrong impression from the minds of the people. Instead it has been using strong arm tactics to silence the voice of protest.

The intentions of their attack is quite significant. They have been primarily targeting the Muslim and leftist activists. Take the case of UP, AMU and Jamia Millia were at the targets of the saffron brigade. In JNU they could not effectively use the police to carry out operation. But their passive attitude and waiting outside the campus while saffron goons were carrying out operation clearly manifests it. An insight into the recent violent incidents would unravel that they have been working on well defined mission. They have been aware of the challenges they would be facing in their pursuit.

Only two days back minister Babul Supriyo had threatened a Muslim college student on social media to pack off the youth to "his own country" for his post seeking to know the BJP MP's "education level". The student, Mustafizur Rahman had wanted simply an "unconditional apology" in public from the BJP leader for his remark about a girl student of Jadavpur University.

On December Supriyo shared a post on the social media advocating CAA and criticised the act of a female JU student, who tore up the first page of the contentious legislation at the annual convocation of the university while receiving her gold medal on December 24.

It is shocking indeed that the peace appeal and protest by the common people have fallen on the deaf ears of the rulers. Their protests appear to have gone in vain. BJP is working on a fresh strategy to take on the opposition campaign against the amended citizenship act. This has been happening when the protest has been spreading. Modi-Shah are confident that the government will quell the protest.

The people are also not in the mood to relent is evident from the simple fact that the old women who are above 90 years of age have hit the streets. They are taking active part in the protest and even sitting on dharna braving the chilly cold waves with mercury going down into minus degree.

The hatred of the saffron cadres and activists towards is so acute that in Patna they killed a Muslim youth carrying tricolour and chanting Bharat mata ki jai. His only crime was he was a Muslim and supported the protest movement. Amir Hanjla, 18, was participating in a protest against the citizenship amendment in Phulwarisharif on Patna’s outskirts on December 21.His body was fished out of the shallows on the waterlogged compound of the Phulwarisharif block headquarters 10 days later, on New Year’s Eve. His head was smashed; his chest and stomach bore stab wounds. As if this not enough a police officer told that Amir was mentally unstable and had run away from home.

BJP chief Amit Shah, has been busy working out the strategy to counter the protest. Recently he met some senior BJP leaders to chalk out an “aggressive” offensive to show that the law enjoys the public support.Undeniably Shah and Modi have been worried about the stand of opposition ruled states after the Kerala Assembly passed resolution demanding the act be scrapped. Meanwhile the BJP leaders would be meeting the RSS leaders to work out the strategy of Sangh and BJP cadres on confronting the protesters on the streets.The BJP is already running a 10-day “jan jagran” (mass awakening) programme to build support for the CAA through door-to-door campaigns.

This is for the first time in Independent India that students and common people have been spearheading a mass movement for nearly a month notwithstanding severe repression let lose by the rulers and state machinery and some of the opposition leaders like Mayawati keeping away from the protest in spite of being aware that the CAA, NRC and NPR would adversely impact the Dalits.

The only leader who has come out full force is TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. She is most active in organizing the anti-CAA movement. She has called froa meeting of all political parties. Recently the left organised some meetings. The left has also given a Bharat bandh on January 8.

The left leaders, especially the CPI(M) leaders may deny but the fact remains that they have to ne more active in meeting the RSS challenge. It is a known fact that they have mass base, have trade unions. But no serious effort is made to channelize the anger of this huge mass. The time has come for left to strike. It must rake initiate to perform the task of vanguard.

It is also feared that if no concrete initiative is taken to shape and guide the protest it would after a couple of months may lose the momentum and dynamics. The students leading the movement do not have so much of agitational experience. The left leaders instead of spending their time and energy in analysing sitting in the drawing rooms must come out openly work against Modi-Shah. Their passive approach is simply strengthening the apprehension that the left leaders are scared to face Modi. They must float state level platforms of the democratic and left forces and work in coordination with the students who have been the vanguards. (IPA Service)