Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress seems to have blown the poll bugle in Goa with a political cartoon showing a woman, clad in white saree with blue strip, something which the West Bengal Chief Minister wears, crushing three people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and one civilian under her slipper-wearing foot.
The image was shared with text “HATERS BEWARE! SHE IS COMING.” Here, ‘she’ is very likely TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Essentially, with this image, TMC is not only normalising violence but even celebrating it.
The whole crushing someone under one’s feet would have been a creative metaphor had the post-poll violence in Bengal after TMC’s victory wasn’t a harsh reality. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has in its detailed report had mentioned how the widespread violence and targeted killings of so many BJP workers was not spontaneous but well-planned. The committee had informed that many supporters of a political party were forced to flee their homes due to a targeted attack. Houses were burnt and ransacked with the victims made to give in writing that they will not support a particular political party. The political party that was in power was Mamata Banerjee-ruled TMC.
There have been reports that the West Bengal police did not file FIRs in many cases and ignored complaints of victims. The High Court has directed that a Special Investigation Team, under the monitoring of the Court, should investigate the other criminal cases related to post-poll violence. There has been deafening silence from the ‘liberal’ section of the media as well as political spectrum against the brutality perpetrated on BJP supporters and workers.
BJP workers and supporters are dehumanised such that not only there is no condemnation on the barbarity but it is also encouraged and celebrated. These are the same set of people who sing paeans on how picture speaks a thousand words and how words lead to genocide. The same set of people are not absolutely okay with an image of Prime Minister of India, Home Minister of India and another civilian being crushed under foot of a woman – who shall not be named.
What they are doing is vilification and dehumanising, especially of BJP workers, which can then be used as grounds for genocide. Many BJP workers and supporters have either been killed in post-poll violence or they’ve fled Bengal fearing for their lives. But the ‘liberals’ are silent because ‘Sanghis’ deserve to die.
‘Sanghis’ are so dehumanised that wishing ill upon them is normalised. During the coronavirus pandemic second wave when the nation was gripped in oxygen crisis, there were people who would wish ‘Sanghis’ don’t get the oxygen needed and wished death upon their loved ones. That is how much the hate is normalised.
These are also the same people who cry ‘fascism’ at slightest discomfort under the Modi government. But maintain radio silence at these enablers of genocide because, well, they’re not ‘Sanghis’.
