The anti-CAA protestors, who were earlier staging massive protests to safeguard the spirit of the Constitution and protect the rights of the citizens, are now providing helping hands for the people in need in various parts of the country to fight Covid-19 pandemic.
These anti CAA protestors, after the declaration of nationwide lockdown, are using their resources, skills, experience and expertise to provide food kits and other useful equipment by identifying those who are in need of urgent help especially the labour force and the marginalised people in slums or in remote areas.
However, keeping aside a few cases, it is good to note that India today stands united to meet the challenges emerging from Corona threat and even anti CAA protestors are sharing the burden and playing their part in a responsible manner. The local administration, state governments and the Central government should coordinate with them and use their skills and expertise accordingly in order to make their fight against Covid-19 more effective. They can be a good resource if provided with some kind of guidance and assistance in the collective fight against Coronavirus.
The path ahead is full of challenges and everyone should play his or her part to help the people in distress. We can only fight the challenges of today and thereafter when individuals, social groups, state governments as well as the Central government will work as a single unit with shared responsibility, shoulder to shoulder.
According to Fahad Ahmad, Founder Mumbai Against CAA and Senior Research Fellow at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, “We the founders of Mumbai Against CAA have established 8 centres in slum of Mankhurd, Cheeta Camp and Govandi to distribute food kits. Till now we have reached 1340 families and also distributing masks to police and in slum areas. We followed the WHO nutrition guidance on designing a food bundle. A bundle is enough for a family of 5 for 8 to 10 days. It includes 5kg Rice, 5kg Flour, 2kg Pulses, 1kg Sugar, 1kg Salt, 1 lt Cooking Oil, 250gr Tea and 1 packet spices.
“We believe at the time of anti-CAA protest we were fighting for a better India and are doing the same by responding to pandemic and would also like to question why medical staff members are not provided with adequate PPEs and other support mechanism. We will continue our work on vulnerable groups in our fight against Covid-19 pandemic and will keep on raising question because raising question that can help people and the country to my mind is the most patriotic act,” said Fahad.
Dr. Maskoor Ahmad Usmani, Former President, AMUSU, told Radiance, “We are working amid coronavirus breakdown in the country, providing rations kits and other necessary commodities for the poor. On 23 March, it was announced by the PM of India that the country will go on complete lockdown which marked unemployment of a vast section of daily breadwinners, contract labourers, roadside vendors and the like. In the middle of this lockdown, crores of people have been suffering from starvation, lack of medicines and even shelter.
“Migrant workers are the most affected of all. During this acute crisis, we have ensured that the marginalised people across different cities and countryside get proper groceries and medicines. These people are mostly daily wage earners and e-rickshaw pullers. Teams of young activists are reaching to needy people and providing them with food to survive,” he said.
Usmani adds: “Most of the youths are those who were actively taking part in anti-CAA/NRC/NPR protests nationwide before lockdown. The network of youth activists that was build a few months back to save the Constitution of India given by Dr. B R Ambedkar is now used to save people who are on the verge of starvation. We live in a country of unskilled labourers, daily wagers and farmers who earn their livelihood in day time so that they can eat proper dinner and have sound sleep at night. The Government is making efforts but Covid-19 crisis remains badly addressed and far from being solved. When prisoners are being released to avoid community spread of Covid-19, it is shameful that the government has been arresting the young Muslim activists who were burning midnight oil to reach the downtrodden sections of society.
“We are providing ration kits which include Rice, Pulses, Flour, Potato, Onion, Sugar, Salt, Masala, Soap, etc. So far we have delivered rations in more than 12 cities and managed to make around 1500 families smile during this pandemic. We urge the government to reach every family so that they don’t die of hunger otherwise hunger will be more dangerous than COVID 1,” he said.
Arish Qamar, Research scholar International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, is of the opinion that Dharavi, a slum that is the most vulnerable to this situation also accommodates migrants from all over the country of which most of them don’t have local ration card to avail government aid. These migrants have to fight with two issues simultaneously, Covid-19 and hunger. Only government efforts are not enough. To overcome this, the governments in cooperation with civil societies should come forward and start working using the bottom-up approach.
Wali Rahmani, a 21-year old law student, who went about the streets of Bengal and Bihar, educating people and protesting against CAA, NRC and NPR. In his three months journey of protest he met a lot of people and formed many small organisations with them. After the protest came to a halt due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, he decided to make use of all his associations to help and give relief to people severely affected due to lockdown. He decided to go to the houses of needy and provide them with a month’s ration. The target was to provide 1000 families with ration kits to the cost of Rs 2000 per kit. That required funds of Rs 20 lakh. He started raising funds and had no idea that people would come forward and be so generous at donating for the cause.
Rahmani also runs an NGO for the underprivileged children. People associated with the NGO came forward and donated generously for food distribution. The drive was a success and ration was distributed to 2500 people and still counting. After anti-CAA-NRC protest came to halt, Wali Rahmani did not let the protestors run out of enthusiasm to work for the betterment of the society. He along with young boys and girls who were protesting with him is now engaged in the act of providing food for the hungry and needy. He is of the opinion that he and his associations would always work for the betterment of the society and be there for this country wherever they are needed.