By abhay mokashi

It is a sad state of affairs that in a country of over 130 crore, only a handful of people stand for the rights of others, especially the marginalised.

Whether it was the British Government or various governments in independent India, atrocities have been committed on various sections of the society and this continues even today. This has happened in various monarchies in the country too. Similar has been situation in various parts of the world.

In India as well as in other countries, people are being deprived of their rights and often their voices are muzzled. Communities and sections of the society, which have been exploited, whose voices have been muzzled or who have been kept away from the benefits of development have come to live with their situations. They believe and are made to do so that it is their destiny to live their lives that way.

Violations of human rights, third degree treatment by the police, exploitation of labour, women, Dalits, tribals and other sections of the society are often except norms, both by the exploiters and the exploited. Some of these exploited people do realise that they are being exploited or do not get a right to the benefits of development, yet they do not have the resources, intellectual or financial, to fight against such exploitation.

The world is privileged that there are certain individuals, who stand up against exploitation of others. Often such people sacrifice their life of comfort to fight for such exploited people. Such individuals have been found in India and several other countries. Mahatma Gandhi, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Rajaram Mohan Roy, Baba Amte, Saint Mother Teresa, Nelson Mendela, Martin Luther King and many others fought for the benefit of others.

Mahatma Gandhi initially fought for the black and coloured people in South Africa and later, on his return to India, chose to fight for the benefit of the Indian masses, instead of making money as a barrister.

Even today, there are people, who take up the cause of others and fight for them. Such individuals are found in India too and it is because of such fighters that at least some people get justice. For such people fighting for a social cause is religion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a dig at such individuals during his reply in the Rajya Sabha today, to the Presidential Address. He addressed them as andolanjeevi, meaning living on agitations. He criticised such people who, according to him, are found at protests by lawyers, students or any other protest for that matter.

The Prime Minister needs to tell what is the offence of such people? If it is an offence, under the current government, to fight for others or for the rights of the marginalised sections of the society? It is good that those Indians mentioned here, who fought for the rights of the others, are not around today, otherwise they would have been flayed by Modi.

The first one to be flayed would have been Mahatma Gandhi, who went to different parts of the country to fight for others. According to Modi, the Mahatma would have been a satyaprahajeevi or a langhanjeevi, because the latter was often found to be on a satyagrah or a fast.

Obviously, the Prime Minister is not happy with the andolanjeevi as, though they are few in numbers, they raise their voice against the wrong doings of the government, when most others are deaf and blind to the situation.

What would Modi say about those who go from one part of the country to the other demanding temples and speaking for Hindus? Should they be called mandirjeevi, because the Ayodhya Ram Mandir issue has made the lives and careers of many. Most of the current top leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party can be called