Image: PTI
The farmers’ protest that is gathering strength all along Delhi’s borders is also being seen by some small-time politicians as a place to get some instant limelight, that will get them noticed by party bosses. However some of these people do not seem to have a logical, and legal, plan of action at all. Some of these small-time politicians are trying tricks to infiltrate the protests, raise objectionable slogans, and discredit the farmers movement if corporate media starts reporting on this.
However, alert farmers participating in the massive, agitation have their own ways to smell such trouble makers out. One such man reached a protest site, possibly the one at Delhi-Ghazipur border, and allegedly started raising some ‘pro-Pakistan’ slogans. Perhaps an attempt to fuel fake news reports/ whatsapp ‘news’ about the bogey of ‘foriegn/Muslim/ Khalistani influence on Farmers’ based on allegations made by mainstream politicians.
However the farmer protestors saw through it, caught the man, and handed him over to the cops. A video shared on social media, shows the police, possibly Delhi Police, dragging the man away from the national highway.
According to the farmers the man had identified himself as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician at the protest, but then raised “Pakistan zindabad” slogans when the farmers caught him. “Go make him a neta now,” a farmer can be heard shouting over the din as the policeman is dragging the man away. A farmer at the protest identified the accused as one Umesh Singh who is possibly affiliated with the BJP.
किसान आंदोलन में घुस कर पाकिस्तान जिंदाबाद के नारे लगाते भाजपा नेता उमेश सिंह को किसानों ने पकड़कर खूब पेला । बीजेपी हटाओ देश बचाओ pic.twitter.com/o0ixCQ7XHW#farmersrprotest#ModiSellingFarmers#BoycottPatanjali
— ???????? ????? (@gsingh3141) December 15, 2020
The fact that such people are beginning to infiltrate the peaceful protests is a sign that all kinds of attempts are being made to discredit it. And small time politicians, party workers, those hoping for future opportunities with political affiliations use it to come into the limelight. They are encouraged by the media attention that wild accusations made by politicians, and social media influencers of ‘Khalistan, Urban Naxals, Pro-Pakistan” etc coming into peaceful protests.
This infiltration brings back memories of when a woman YouTuber donned a burqa and tried to infiltrate the epicentre of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Shaheen Bagh, Delhi in February this year. The woman was identified as Gunja Kapoor, and she had entered the protest wearing a burqa but was acting in a strange manner, allegedly filming the protest and asking too many questions, following which the police were summoned at the site. The police took her away to Sarita Vihar police station.
Gunja Kapoor Kapoor identifies herself as a ‘political analyst’ and was allegedly ‘reporting’ from the protest venue. The protestors however handed her over to the cops and wanted to know why she wore a burqa to conceal her identity to go to the anti-CAA protest.
According to India Today, at that point she was followed by over 24,000 people on social media including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. That number has now grown, and she is still followed by the PM, BJP politicians including Kapil MIshra, and scores of journalists. She has also written opinions for several websites, and proudly called herself a ‘foot soldier’ of the PM.
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