‘Detain us or arrest us, the fight will go on’: Tushar Gandhi on protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Tushar Gandhi; (right) Cops drag protesters around at Nana Chowk, preventing them from proceeding to August Kranti Maidan. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

The night before Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was detained by the police in connection with Saturday's protest at August Kranti Maidan, Sunday mid-day sat down with him in an exclusive interview in which he said the agitation will be escalated if the government and the Election Commission ignore the protestors' demands. Excerpts from the conversation:

What is the main demand of the August Kranti Maidan protest?
It's in our slogan: ‘Gyanu, Shah , Modi...Chale Jao!'

Do you believe CEC Gyanesh Kumar has failed to protect the credibility of India's electoral process?
Absolutely. There is no doubt left now. Earlier there were just doubts when vote theft, election theft, was happening. There were just doubts where we were certain that it was happening, but we didn't have any firm evidence to prove it. This time, multiple agencies, and the Election Commission itself, voiced it. So now, Gyanesh Kumar's culpability in this is established.

Why did you choose August Kranti Maidan?
We are asking fascism to quit India. We are asking malpractices to quit India. What better place to do that than from where the call had gone out for the British to ‘Quit India'?

What's next on the agenda?
Real agenda is to bring in systematic change. And finally the agenda is to again make this country a citizen-participating democracy where the leaders cannot get away with whatever they want.

Do you think suspensions and resignations of authorities is enough to bring in a change?
These are just symbolic things. At the end, change needs to start somewhere. The call is for having overall good governance. To remind those in power that they are public servants and not dictators.

Your stand in case of arrests, if made?
We will fight for justice. The country has always had a history of citizens fighting and sacrificing. So the fight will go on, whether arrested or not. And the fact that arrests are made instead of having a dialogue and trying to find a viable solution, would in itself be proof that the Government agrees that they are guilty.

How do you think have Gen Zs adopted Gandhian policies?
The biggest way is non-violence and Satyagraha. So far, no one has taken any violent step at any of the protest sites. Even while being detained, they never fought back violently. What more can be a proof of them adopting the biggest policy of Mahatma Gandhi!

As the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, do you think such adamant people in power can be shaken well enough through peaceful protest?
The British had a place to go back to. Today, we are fighting against our own people. Reforming our own people who do not have a place to go is definitely a much more difficult challenge. Though this will be a long fight, it's not an impossible one.