The heinous crime in the rape and murder of a doctor of the R.G.Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, in the late hours of 8 August, has led to widespread protests not only all over West Bengal, but throughout the country, as well as in various other countries. An unprecedented mass response occurred in the form of an an appeal to women citizens to ‘reclaim the night’ by capturing the streets throughout West Bengal at midnight on 14 August, 2024, in protest against the administration’s announcement that women should stay at home at night and should not be given night duties at workplaces.
People from all walks of life, particularly women, came out of their homes to the streets at midnight and demonstrated through the night by lighting candles, blowing conch shells and demanding, through slogans, impartial investigation of that horrible crime. The movement continues, to demand proper justice. As the movement gained momentum, it was discovered that R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital is actually a den of corrupt and anti-social activities. The one-and-a-half-month old movement reveals three unique features. Firstly, such overwhelming participation of women of all ages is unprecedented in the history of popular resistance in India. Secondly, the movement has been launched and is being carried on predominantly by non-party civil society organizations by using the national flag instead of any party flag.
This shows that citizens, in general, are alienated from established political parties. And, finally, political parties have realized that their fellow beings are alienated from them and, therefore, when they request people to join processions organized by them, they announce that they will not carry any party flag. These non-party civil society organizations which have sprung up in different places can be called ‘demand groups’ or ‘pressure groups’. In that sense, they are non-political in structure. But, functionally they are political since any movement against a government department (in this case, the health department) and/or against a government institution (in this case, a state-run hospital) is nothing but a political activity.
While political parties are also launching campaigns against the government on the same issues, there is a fundamental difference between them and the pressure groups. In fact, the basic difference between a political party and a pressure group is that while the ultimate aim of the former is to oust an existing government from power and to seize power for itself through election or otherwise, the goal of a pressure group is simply to force the government to react to an injustice and to redress a particular grievance. What, then, will happen when the government withdraws or steps back from a proposed policy or action which a pressure group regards as wrongful? Will the group then wither away, its demands having been fulfilled? This is a vital question today for all the non-party groups which are fighting for justice. The direction in which the CBI investigation is moving in the RG Kar case, people are becoming hopeful that ultimately justice shall prevail and all wrong-doers shall be identified and punished. What will happen then?
Will the innumerable protest groups, not affiliated to any political party, meet their natural death? Or, will a new political party emerge from these pressure groups? Both these possibilities are there and in both cases, if they occur, people will remain under the domination of party politics. The time has come, therefore, to think of a third alternative. These pressure groups, in different places of Bengal, may unite to form a Statewide non-party civil society organization with local branches. The objective of this broad organisation would be to keep a vigil on governmental activities, cooperate and help the government in implementing good policies and fighting against the government whenever it commits or supports wrongful actions.
It may fight against, for example, corruption in the higher echelons of the administration, against mismanagement of the rationing system, against the syndicate raj in various sectors (particularly real estate), against soaring prices of essential items, against exorbitantly high power tariffs, against extortion for services rendered by government departments and municipalities, against extortion by the police from poor rickshaw pullers, vegetable vendors, and others. But such movements must be conducted in non-violent ways as otherwise the Government will be justified in using coercive apparatus to deal with them. Moreover, movements on popular issues are likely to gain mass support and, thereby, social legitimacy, if they are nonviolent.
There is enough historical evidence to show that for any government, anywhere in the world, it is easier to suppress a violent movement than a mass non-violent movement. The fact, however, is that the multi-party parliamentary system has come to stay and, admittedly, it is superior to totalitarianism or a oneparty system. Given this situation, the task of non-party civil society organizations is not only to fight against wrongs done by the government, but to do, at the same time, constructive work at the grassroots level in order to help people to solve their local problems through popular initiatives.
Such constructive work will awaken the people from their deep slumber and will make them realize that power springs neither from any political party nor from the State machinery, but from the people. Finally, such a civil society organization should regard itself not as a commander but as a Servant of the People. It should not regard the government as an eternal foe but should cooperate with the government when it makes policies aimed at the wellbeing of people in general and, particularly, at the amelioration of the poor.
(The writer is a retired Professor of Political Science, Calcutta University.)