Protesters take turns to exercise franchise and keep protest on
For the indefatigable women and dadis of Shaheen Bagh, who have been on an indefinite sit-in since December 15, 2019 to protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Saturday was the day to press the buttons to vote for Delhi Assembly elections. Facing lots of criticism for blocking Road number 13 connecting Kalindi Kunj to Mathura Road and Noida, the women ensured that their agitation continued unabated while they exercised their franchise.
While women were away for voting, their places were taken by the men who had already voted to fill the gap. It continued throughout the day as women kept leaving the protest site to go to their respective polling booths to vote. It was a tactical move to ensure that everyone voted and the agitation was unaffected, they said. Shaheen Bagh saw a high turnout as the people could be standing in the queue to wait for their turn.
While some of the women voted in the morning, others chose to get their fingers inked in the afternoon and the remaining in the evening.
Mehzabeen Qureshi, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, who has been part of the protest ever since it started, had left the site to vote and then came back to continue with the part of the agitation. “I stayed at home to let other women in the house go out and vote. Now I have joined them here at Shaheen Bagh after voting. I voted today to secure democracy.”
Zaheeda Khan, another resident of Shaheen Bagh, said, “The women here had decided a day before voting that some of them would go out for voting in the morning, while others will stay back for chores. The others will go in the afternoon and then come back to the protest site.
“By the evening, we will be a full house again, all geared up to continue our protest,” she said. Zahra Sheikh said they are determined to exercise their right to vote as it is crucial for a democracy. “We started our day knowing that it will be of double importance for us. We want to ensure that democracy survives hence, every citizen of Shaheen Bagh is voting,” she said.
In the meantime, the men folk from Shaheen Bagh filled in at the protest site when the women protesters were away completing domestic chores.
Taking a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “biryani” remark, Mohammad Ayub, a resident, said they were voting to prove a point that they were not being served any “biryani”.
The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was served a notice by the Election Commission of India for his remark “Kejriwal is feeding biryani in Shaheen Bagh” comments. The Shaheen Bagh protest site had become a focal point in the BJP’s poll campaign.
“Many people have alleged that we were protesting for Delhi elections and that some political parties were funding us and serving ‘biryani’. They should know that we are still protesting as Delhi votes and will continue the agitation after the polling,” Ayub said. “No party serves us ‘biryani’. The women cook and bring food to feed the protesters,” he added.