Kannur: Poet and critic K Satchithanandan said that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are the beginning of an attempt in draconian legislation that will lead the entire population into a concentration camp.
He was giving a talk on 'Freedom of creativity' here. The ruling establishment is violating the fundamental principles of democracy and the constitution; in fact there is a move to defy democracy in toto and make India a corporate-controlled theocracy, he said.
Each human being is worried about how he can maintain his citizenship and the current move cannot be viewed as merely a minor legal issue. If the Emergency was a negation of democracy using the constitution, what happens now is a negation of constitution using democracy.
Contrary to what at least a section of people think,this not a move to isolate one particular community alone. It is also the poor Dalit, the hapless tribals, nomadic sections and the common people who will cease to be citizens, and they will be thrown into detention camps, he said.
The social critic reminded that the detention camps started by the Nazis in Germany were later converted into labour camps, and we have seen how Kashmir became a jail without building a jail. The same situation is going to befall the entire country. Patriots are being branded as traitors. A regime is in power that encourages violence or silently supports it.
Satchithanandan also said that several media entities, including Republic TV, have turned into sycophants of rulers hiding truth and spreading lies. The media have become a means of hiding truth rather than showing truth, he ridiculed.
The programme organized by Purogamana Kala Sahitya Samithi, was presided over by Mukundan Madhathil. N Sasidharan and TM Dinesan also spoke.