Actor Swara Bhasker has claimed that many in Bollywood have stayed away from the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar because they fear the consequences of speaking out. The 38-year-old went to visit climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for 20 days. Speaking to The Lallantop, she said members of the film industry had “seen what happened” to her after she voiced her political opinions and were reluctant to face a similar backlash.
The activist has been fasting since June 28, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations, including the NEET paper leak, and wider reforms to the examination system.
In the interaction, later shared by The Lallantop, Swara was asked why Bollywood had largely stayed away from the protest, especially when actors had openly backed movements such as Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign in 2011.
Responding to the question, Swara said many celebrities feared the consequences of speaking out.
“Meri haalat dekh ke nahi aa rahe hain. Unko pata hai ki zyada bolne se Swara Bhasker ke saath jo hua tha, woh hum sab ke saath bhi hoga. Isliye woh nahi aa rahe hain (They’re not coming after seeing what happened to me. They know that if they speak too much, what happened to Swara Bhasker could happen to them as well. That’s why they are staying away),” she said.
She went on to compare the current political climate with the period around the Anna Hazare movement.
“2011-10 ki baat alag thi. Sarkar alag thi. Haan, unhone bhi bhrashtachar kiya hoga, galat cheezein kari hongi, lekin jis had tak yeh sarkar chali jaati hai… activists aur students ko bina bail ke, bina kisi wajah ke jail mein nahi sadaya gaya tha (Things were different in 2010-11. The government then was different. It may also have had corruption and made mistakes, but it did not go to the extent of keeping activists and students in jail for long periods without bail or justification),” said the 38-year-old actor.
Referring to tribal rights activist Stan Swamy, who died in custody in 2021, Swara added, “Yeh aisi sarkar hai… 84 saal ke Father Stan Swamy jail mein mar gaye (This is the kind of government under which 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy died in jail).”
Criticising the government’s response to the protest, she said, “Yeh sarkar apne ahankaar mein nangi hai, apni besharmi mein nangi hai (This government is stripped bare by its arrogance and shamelessness).”
While refusing to judge fellow actors individually, Swara urged people not to depend on celebrities to validate public causes.
“Celebrities pe itna bharosa mat karo. Celebrity ki wajah se koi cause zaroori nahi ho jaata. Cause apne aap mein hi zaroori hai (Don’t place so much faith in celebrities. A cause does not become important because a celebrity supports it. It is important in its own right),” said the Raanjhanaa actor.
She stressed that the protest did not require celebrity endorsement to remain significant. She said she didn’t join the protest as a celebrity but was there as a citizen and as a mother.
Explaining why the issue felt personal, she said, “Yeh protest meri beti ka bhi bhavishya hai. Main majboori mein desh chhodkar Dubai Golden Visa lekar shift nahi hona chahti. Main chahti hoon ki meri beti isi desh mein pale, padhe aur usse woh opportunities mile jo mujhe mili thi (This protest is about my daughter’s future too. I don’t want to be forced to leave the country and move to Dubai on a Golden Visa. I want my daughter to grow up and study in this country and have the same opportunities that I had).”
Swara is among several film personalities who have visited Wangchuk or publicly backed his demands. Others, including Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Zeenat Aman, Sonakshi Sinha, Atul Kulkarni, Sayaji Shinde and Vishal Dadlani, have either urged the government to open a dialogue with Wangchuk or appealed to him to end his fast.
According to the latest medical bulletin, Wangchuk has lost over 9 kg since beginning his hunger strike and has entered a critical stage of prolonged fasting. Doctors have warned that continued fasting could begin affecting his organs, even as he has refused to end the protest without a response from the government. The Delhi High Court has also directed authorities to monitor his health daily and provide medical assistance if required.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.indiatoday.in ’
