New Delhi, Aug 5:
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led youth protest at Jantar Mantar “destroyed” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public image of more than two decades in just two weeks and delivered a political blow that is “bigger than any election victory”, acclaimed author Arundhati Roy has said.
Speaking at the launch of the Hindi translation of her book “Mother Mary Comes to Me”, titled “Meri Maa, Meri Gangster”, on Monday, Roy argued that while electoral victories and defeats are only one aspect of politics, the recent public mobilisation had shown that even narratives built over decades could be shaken within weeks.
“What I like the most is that no one knows what will happen to us, the country. The script is being written. And everyone has their own part. People often believed they would have to live under the same conditions for a thousand years, but in two weeks, it was shaken a little, from the roots.
“The image of 24 years (of PM Modi)… made by spending crores of rupees, not even addressing a press conference, where some call him the incarnation of Vishnu… and in two weeks, cockroaches have destroyed that whole 24 years,” Roy told a packed hall at the India International Centre (IIC).
“This is, in a way, a bigger victory than elections,” she added.
The Booker Prize-winning author of “The God of Small Things”, however, cautioned that the challenge was far from over if the government continued to retain control over institutions and the levers of power.
“If this government… keeps the institutions or levers of power, then it will be very difficult for us,” she said and urged opposition parties and civil society to work together to defend democratic institutions.
Roy also urged opposition parties to take a leaf out of the book of protesters at Jantar Mantar, where, she said, young participants showed “maturity” despite them not possibly agreeing with each other on every issue.
“They played their role very responsibly,” she added.
Drawing a musical analogy, the 64-year-old likened their cooperation to members of a musical band, saying each person had a distinct role to perform but contributed towards a common purpose.
“The bass guitarist can’t be the singer, the singer can’t be the drummer, the drummer can’t be the guitarist… they all have played their roles differently. Now the adults also have to show their maturity,” she said.