Want to salute all those who stood up and are behind bars: Arundhati Roy
new delhi: Concerned intellectuals on Thursday pointed out towards the problematic political and social environment that has engulfed the country and saying that there can be no democracy without dissent.
At a press conference held at Press Club of India, the panelists in a "concerned citizens" move spoke about Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), attack on marginalised and minorities among other issues. Addressing the media, lawyer Sanjay Hegde spoke about dissent and said, "The Constitution is the product of dissent and recognition of dissent. All that has happened over the past few years is the gradual trampling down of dissent and treating it as the fire that has to be put out. The word dissent is not something which is seen as the black mark. What is required these days is to stand up. There can be no democracy without a dissent."
Yogendra Yadav, leader of political party Swaraj India spoke about the deteriorating condition and how one has to run around for merely getting permission to protest. "Anything that is happening on the road, things are being done to stop them. Unfortunately, the orders from the court also shows the same scenario."
Nadeem Khan, who was part of the panel and the member of United Against Hate said, "If doing PCs and protest is a conspiracy, then this conspiracy will continue under right to protest. We are not ashamed of that. We are proud of what we have done and our people who are in jail will come out and till the time they don't and laws like CAA exist, we will keep protesting," he said.
Author Arundhati Roy while speaking of the "ghosts of people" who have been part of such press conferences but are now in jail said, "I want to salute all those people who stood up and are behind bars. This constitution has been rendered useless. What happened in Hathras shows that every organ in this country is rotten. We would not be in a state of fascism if it were not for the Indian media."
She added that it is humiliating to live in an atmosphere where "one is marinated in this hatred".
