Modi government is hell-bent on destroying our democracy: Sitaram Yechury

The latest supplementary charge sheet in Delhi riots case has triggered a controversy, as it names CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury as well as academicians and activists like Jayati Ghosh, Yogendra Yadav and Apoorvanand. Delhi Police has clarified that none of these people are named as accused and they figure in a disclosure statement by an accused. However, many are not buying this argument and believe it is a precursor to taking action. Yechury spoke to DH's Shemin Joy on this issue.

Q. One of the charge sheets on Delhi riots has mentioned you as among the "big leaders" who "provoked and mobilised" crowds during the protests against Citizenship Amendment Act. How do you respond to this?

First of all, what is the connection between my address at a peaceful meeting opposing the CAA? It is the stated position of my party that we are opposed to the CAA. Secondly, 56 people have died in the Delhi riots in February. Who is responsible for this? Where are the charge sheets against those people? Thirdly, this is a motivated orchestrated effort to link the anti-CAA protests with the Delhi riots. There is no action against those who gave hate speeches, including Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur and BJP leader Kapil Mishra, which instigated the violence. These are widely documented but no action has been taken. In fact, if there is any cause behind this violence, it is this. Nothing has been done on that. The fourth point is that exercising the right to peaceful protest is the essence of the Indian Constitution. Defending the Constitution, which is what the anti-CAA movement was about, is not only our right, it is also the duty of any political leader.

Q. Delhi Police say that you have not been named as accused. How do you respond?

How did this charge sheet come into the public domain? Why did the police put this up just days before the convening of the Monsoon Session of Parliament? Delhi Police is brazenly acting under Home Minister Amit Shah to implicate us in connection with the communal violence. Police’s illegitimate, illegal actions are a direct outcome of the politics of BJP’s top leadership. The BJP government is scared of questions in Parliament, in the media and RTI. The Prime Minister cannot hold a press conference or answer RTIs about his private fund or show his degree. They think they can silence political opposition by blatant misuse of State power. We fought the Emergency, we will defeat this too.

Q. So, you see a political link to this?

Yes, the Delhi Police is working under the directions of Home Minister Amit Shah. It is a political orchestration that the MHA, which means the political leadership in the country, which means the BJP government, is doing. This is an act of crude partisanship and vengeance. The BJP-RSS is scripting its own narrative of organised communal violence. It is clear that the BJP-RSS has gone about to portray Delhi riots being a 'deep-rooted conspiracy' by anti-CAA protesters.

Q. You are a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government, especially on the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economy. Do you think you have been singled out because of your views?

This government has a large number of issues which are inconvenient to them, which I keep raising. What we are raising is in defence of the Indian Constitution and its values. What they are doing is undermining this very Constitution. There are a large number of issues they like to skirt. The Covid-19 pandemic and destruction of the economy is the immediate backdrop on which they want to silence me. They are scared of legitimate peaceful protests by mainstream political parties and are misusing state power to target the Opposition. BJP's illegal intimidation won't stop people from opposing discriminatory laws like CAA. To assert that all Indians are equal irrespective of their religion, caste, colour, creed, region, gender and political affiliations is not only our right but our duty. We will exercise it.

Q. Are you suggesting that there is a pattern in this?

The charge sheet exposes the current pattern of how the MHA is operating. This is in line with the growing pattern of the most blatant abuse of the police and other central agencies like CBI, NIA, ED to frame prominent opponents and demonise them. Mention the name of somebody in somebody else's charge sheet. Procure an order from the lower court to frame charges against all those who are named and then proceed to register cases against them. This is exactly what they did in the Bhima Koregaon case. All those who are in jail under UAPA in this case, whether it is Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Sudha Bharadwaj, Anand Teltumbde etc, all were victims of the same pattern. This exactly the same pattern which they used to take action against Harsh Mander.

Q. Are you seeing the latest charge sheet as a precursor to preparing the ground to take action against you?

Absolutely. This is a political witch-hunt. They want to silence all those who are critical of this government.

Q. How do you analyse the Delhi Police investigations into the riots?

It is clearly motivated. They are working under the directions of the MHA and BJP. Delhi Police is furthering the narrative of its political masters. You are investigating the riots, which is one-way communal violence. Now, instead of investigating that aspect, you are picking up all those who are involved with anti-CAA protests by orchestrating a connection. They are trying to say that anti-CAA protests are responsible for the riots, which itself is a complete fabrication. Riots were caused by very very obnoxious hate speeches and calls for violence. Hate speech videos by those who instigated violence which led to the death of 56 persons in Delhi are on record. The person who led violent mobs in JNU is also on video. The BJP government and Delhi Police under it, cannot see those because it is hell-bent on destroying our democracy. This is the real 'chehra, charitra, chaal and chintan' of Modi and his BJP. Nothing is being done against those people who gave hate speeches. Instead, all peacefully protesting people are being picked up. Even there, there is communal profiling.