We Indians at Dandi
The Quit India Movement 1942
During our struggle against the formidable British Empire, they leveraged their superior weaponry to repeatedly defeat Indian forces, starting from the battle of Plassey in 1757. Over time, they subdued Indian kings who refused to comply, like Tipu Sultan who lost his kingdom after four wars, the Marathas gave up after three conflicts, and the Sikh empire disappeared defeated in two engagements. Even the rebels of 1857 faced devastating consequences. Subsequently, only a handful of determined individuals remained, resorting to sporadic attacks with meager resources hoping to disrupt British rule.
These valiant but outnumbered individuals faced overwhelming odds, confronting British machine guns with only pistols and crude bombs. Their efforts, though courageous, made little impact on the entrenched power of the British Empire. Many were hunted down, executed, or forced to flee to foreign lands, while British rule persisted.
Some freedom fighters, fearing imprisonment, opted for prolonged legal battles to evade jail. Then emerged Mahatma Gandhi with an out of box approach: nonviolent resistance through Boycott. Gandhiji advocated for boycotting British goods, British awards, employment, and other symbols of colonial authority. This strategy, though less glamorous than fighting with a gun, offered two significant advantages: One, it could involve the masses, even the poor could participate in the resistance and render the government powerless in the face of unified non cooperation, example is Farmers’ Satyagrahya at Kheda in 1918.
This tactic has proved effective, as evidenced that the British could not pursue their agenda through the Round Table Conferences due to Congress-led boycotts. They could not succeed despite pitting Savarkar's Hindu Mahasabha , Muslim League, Ambedkar and Indian Princes against Gandhiji.
The Brits ruled India for more than 100 years in the same manner as the current Govt is doing ; The CAG, the media has been gagged, NSSO been gagged, the Election commission and CBI and ED being misused to coerce the dissenting voices, there is One and only one group left which has people with high integrity and honesty and i.e BJP and its associated partners.
The power of boycott therefore, remains a potent tool and is still valid, the British were brought down to knees because WE LEARNT THE POWER OF BOYCOTT.
Can the Opposition, take a leaf out of our history and BOYCOTT these elections. During the course of our freedom struggle many political parties including the Congress, did boycott elections a few times.
The Govt is required to provide a level playing field to contest elections, but if it hell bent not to do so, then just BOYCOTT.
Go full throttle to the people to tell them WHY YOU ARE BOYCOTTING.
Let BJP field its candidates and win all 543 seats , let them fill the lok sabha and Rajya sabha with all its members.
Let them run the race alone.
They will still not be able to govern India effectively. It is a fallacy, a mistaken belief, that a Nation as big as ours can be better run if there is NO OPPOSITION and No Dissenting voice left in Lok sabha and RS.
They will then be not able to get away by blaming the previous govts and leaders for all the problems and it will also help the opposition to cleanse its own house.
The people also who have been mesmerised and indoctrinated will also come to realise that their welfare is not in temples but in democracy. It is through collective action and nonviolent resistance that the people can reclaim their voice and shape the future of the nation.