Priya Pillai vs Indian Govt: An old tussle in new bottle

That we may have differences with the way Greenpeace makes its opposition to some issue or matter is a different thing. The activists, sometimes, can get very seriously involved in something that can be deemed anti-government and edge on getting the government on their wrong side, so much that they can be charged with legal sections that can attract serious punishments.

Greenpeace is known for its off-the-track protests and demonstrations like breaching security, waylaying ministers, taking their battle to high seas and making it difficult for the government to come across for sane talks. But then, come to think of it that is what social activism is all about.

Always enemies

No confrontational non-governmental organization can ever work in accordance with the government while wanting to convince the state that its decisions are anti-people and detrimental in the long run. Now, this could be a matter of perspective too. Like what the government would assume to be of larger good, may not come across in the same manner when thought from an NGO perspective. Tribal rights and development have always been issues that are at logger heads.

The Priya case

When Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai was off loaded from the plane last month, citing reasons that were clearly beyond the comprehension of millions of activists who have been working on various rights issues across the country, the country watched the drama unfold with total disbelief.

A lookout circular was making rounds in the lady’s name with a clear instruction – offload. Duly so, she was offloaded in Delhi early January and set the war cry going.

Priya was on her way to UK to address the British Parliamentarians on the human rights and forest rights violations by a subsidiary of a British registered company – Essar Energy – in the forests of Mahan in Madhya Pradesh.

The government was termed ‘overzealous’ in this matter for having jumped the gun and pressed the panic button. This was an attempt to malign her reputation and curb freedom of speech and compromise the very concept of democracy, cried the activists and all those who were not with the government. The NGO haters only smiled smugly and thought government had finally cracked the whip on so-called saviours who are exploiting people of India, setting them up against the government at the cost of receiving foreign funds, enjoying a fine life and yet pretend to be the voice of voiceless.

Charges and explanation

But what followed the offloading was not too much of a pretty picture that was well within the logical framework. The Home Ministry said, via an affidavit filed in the court that Pillai had planned to talk to British Parliamentarians about the rights of tribal folks trampled by corporations. They were being falsely accused of ulterior motives by Greenpeace and Ms. Pillai.

The government was worried that she would be speaking about the problems that plagued India such as tribal rights being compromised upon, female foeticide that was taking a toll on India’s growth graph, the rising number of crimes against women so on and so forth.

Old rivalry

Come to think of how long does the rivalry between governments and social sector date, it would be a curious study to delve deep into. There are grassroots activists who would have studied the issue they are fighting for, and would have spent their life working on it. It is obvious when the government sets out to do something in some areas that are far from the word ‘development’ that the NGOs have already been working there since long. After all, NGOs reach where the government doesn’t try to crawl.

Till the time a government is in power, it will always be a powerful establishment. And no matter which party is in power in the form of a government, it will always be against anybody who opposes its plans.

When NGOs take on the government, establishment resorts to other methods of gagging. The battle would be interesting to watch, since the winner is not always the winner, and the loser always gets the sympathy of millions like him.