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COVER STORY FEBRUARY 2021 CENTRAL ORGAN OF CPI(ML) Rs. 25 COVER STORY Who is Nitin Raj and Why is The Yogi Government After Him? (Excerpted and translated from sleeps, his one and only concern a report in Janchowk) is, "When will my Nitin come back from jail?" Nitin's mother is worried If you are a student and are as they are from an economically interested, along with your studies, weak section and if her son does in politics and are pained by the not get bail his future education will current situation in the country be ruined, since he may not be able and stand up to voice your protest, to take up the offer of admission in beware for you will be hunted down. JNU that he has qualified for. If, moreover, you are a dalit or are ideologically Left thinking, then Nitin is a post graduate in Mass you face even greater danger. 22 Communications from BBAU where year old Nitin Raj who showed a has has also qualified for PhD. A black flag to Chief Minister Yogi thoughtful and sensitive young man, Adityanath has been arrested for he reads widely, and responds to the fifth time and thrown into prison. every act of injustice by standing Nitin Raj is the Uttar Pradesh State up for the underdog. Nitin was Vice President of AISA. His bail attracted to AISA when he came to Lucknow University after passing application has been denied for the him when women in large numbers his Intermediate exam, and he second time by the Magistrate and stood up in protest. The next time joined AISA. the next date of 22 January has he went for the protest the police been given. It should be remembered that caught him again and this time a An FIR (FIR No. 0142/2020) the showing of black flags to Yogi group of lawyers got him released registered on 16 March 2020 at Adityanath on 6 June 2017 at on a personal surety. The third time Thakurganj Thana, Lucknow with Lucknow University was the first on 16 March the police caught him regard to the anti-CAA-NRC protest open display of protest against Yogi on the street before he reached the names 23 persons under Section 66 after he became Chief Minister. dharna spot. They beat him inside of the IT Amendment Act, Section Clearly, undemocratic-minded the police van and switched off his 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment persons like Yogi found this phone. Around midnight it became Act 1932, and Sections 505, 427, intolerable. 14 students including clear that Nitin was arrested and 353, 283, 188, 149, 147 and 145 Nitin were jailed for this 'crime' and kept in Thakurganj Thana from of the IPC. The charges against the faced all kinds of harassment and where he and two other boys were protesters in the police FIR include torture inside jail as well as after sent to jail the next day. coming out of jail. raising of inflammatory slogans, The Covid-19 pandemic spread pushing police personnel, and Lucknow University awarded around that time and Nitin was putting up posters. Nitin has been him his degree on condition that released on parole 15 days later. denied bail by the sessions and he never again seek admission into The parole period ended on 5 district courts, where judges are this University. Undaunted despite January 2021 and Nitin was re- fearful of giving an order that may all this harassment, Nitin took arrested and sent to jail. “offend” the Yogi regime. admission in the BBAU for MA in Protests to demand Nitin Raj's Mass Communications. Nitin comes from a poor dalit release are being organized at family. His family lives in Janata When the anti-CAA-NRC various places through AISA and quarters in Lucknow. His mother protests started last year Nitin Raj other organizations. JNUSU has is an Anganwadi worker and his went to Gantaghar in Lucknow to also released a poster appealing father is in the rag trade. His 80 join the women protesting there, for his immediate release. Protests year old grandfather Sundar Lal is where the police nabbed him on for his release have been held a retired defence personnel and is the street. They checked his bag at Allahabad University students' emotionally very much attached to and abused him while arresting union office, JNU campus and other Nitin; he neither eats nor drinks nor and taking him away, but released places. q EDITORIAL Republic Day 2021: Farmers Write New Series Vol. 26 No. 10 History FEBRUARY 2021 CONTENTS COMMENTARY Resonance of Subhas Chandra Bose in Today's India ....................................................5 Vaccine Politics: Jettisoning Science for Jingoism ..............7 Caging Women Is Violence Not “Safety” or “Protection” ................................9 Arnabgate ............................................................13 COVER FEATURE Farmers Reclaim The Republic! ...............16 INTERNATIONAL ....................................................30 he journey of independent India as a modern democratic republic EDITOR-IN-CHIEF began on 26 January 1950 when the Constitution of India Dipankar Bhattacharya Tcame into force, the Constitution adopted by 'we, the people of EDITOR India' resolving to constitute India into a sovereign democratic republic Arindam Sen and secure to all its citizens comprehensive justice, liberty, equality EDITORIAL BOARD and fraternity. The 71st anniversary of India's Republic Day saw India's Kavita Krishnan farmers and other common citizens rekindle that republican spirit of India's V. Shankar Sanjay Sharma Constitution in an unprecedented display of people's unity, determination and power. Editors' e-mail: [email protected] Incidentally, the current phase of the farmers' movement demanding Art: V Arun Kumar repeal of the disastrous farm laws began on 26 November, the day of adoption of India's Constitution. While the government of the day betrayed MANAGER Prabhat Kumar the spirit and vision of the Constitution to promote corporate interests Phone: 7042877713 as farm laws, the determined resistance of the farmers to this fascist Website: www.cpiml.net corporate assault has created a countrywide people's platform to defend E-mail: [email protected] the interests and rights of not just India's farmers and other sections of agricultural population but all Indians fighting for justice and democracy. 36 pages including covers Between 26 November, 2020 and 26 January, 2021 while the Modi regime, Indian state and the Sangh-BJP brigade tried every possible trick to isolate, confuse, divide and discredit the protesting farmers, the movement has gone from strength to strength, arousing tremendous hope and goodwill Annual Subscription Rates and unleashing massive energy and determination all around. India Rs. 300 Abroad US$ 60 The farmers' movement has shown enough patience, maturity and power to brave a cruel winter and deal with the multi-pronged strategy of Send M.O. or Bank Draft the government. Frustrating all attempts of the government to bring the in favour of movement to an end before the Republic Day, the protesting farmers took LIBERATION PUBLICATIONS their movement to a new high. Having failed to crush the movement by Payable at Delhi to force or outwit the farmers though deceit, the Modi government is now U-90 SHAKARPUR, DELHI 110 092 trying to delegitimise the movement by with a distorted and misleading LIBERATION - CENTRAL ORGAN OF CPI(ML) | FEBRUARY 2021 | 3 EDITORIAL account of Republic Day events in about a change of governments, Shaheen Bagh movement was a Delhi, accusing farmers of indulging with the AAP replacing the Congress conspiracy to carry out a communal in anarchy and insulting national government in Delhi and Modi-led riot! symbols and monuments. NDA replacing the UPA government The same pattern is at work Nothing could be a bigger and at the Centre. These struggles too following the Republic Day more brazen lie. While waiting had their shares of confrontation events in Delhi. A vicious and for more details to emerge on the between the protesters and the concerted disinformation campaign clashes between protesters and police or scenes of chaos and is underway to discredit the the police in parts of Delhi and the disorder. But these struggles were movement in popular perception. visual of some people hoisting the never sought to be dismissed as The farmers' movement which Nishan Sahib anarchist or anti-national exercises has remained remarkably focused in the Lal Qila and united till date will surely be complex, two The ongoing farmers' able to overcome this challenge. facts stand movement has emerged as The farmers' movement has every out as clear as potential to secure a complete daylight. It is one of the biggest in repeal of the disastrous farm laws. the farmers who India's history in terms All forces of anti-corporate anti- lost at least one fascist resistance must stand firm life in the course of vibrant participation, with the farmers in this great battle. of the day's More power to the fighting farmers, events and fighting spirit and more power to people's protests! q they mourned creative energies this loss without getting of the protesting provoked. It people. should also be noted that in the Lal Qila incident, the flag in question was by the media and the governments hoisted on an empty flagpole of the time. without showing any disrespect The culture of discrediting and to the tricolour. In fact, as in demonising popular democratic most recent examples of popular protests as anti-national acts of struggles since the anti-rape and anarchy is a distinct post-2014 anti-corruption struggles during the trend. We've seen the Modi last years of the second term of the government try and do that to UPA government, the tricolour has suppress the student movement been the most prominent flag of the triggered by the institutional murder ongoing farmers' movement along of Rohith Vemula.

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