From Narmada Bachao to CJP’s Tiranga March, the 93-year-old still fighting for rights

At 93 years old, economist and Padma Bhushan awardee Devaki Jain continues to rally for causes she passionately believes in. A distinguished figure in multiple protest movements, including Narmada Bachao Andolan in the 1980s and the Right to Information (RTI) movement in the 1990s, Jain joined the Cockroach Janata Party’s (CJP) Tiranga March held at Connaught Place in New Delhi on Friday.

She expressed her satisfaction that younger generations are also engaging in similar causes and highlighted the importance of fighting for constitutional rights, stating, "I think it's a very good fight, and I’m so pleased that this generation is thinking of fighting for these things, like constitutional rights."

The march served as a nostalgic reminder of Jain's own years of activism. She fondly recalled the "zindabad" slogans of past movements, reminiscent of the long walks taken during the struggle against the Narmada dam construction. When asked about her decision to join the CJP’s protest, Jain emphasized the importance of standing against corruption, expressing her support for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

She also compared the current police response to protests with her experiences from her activist days, noting that while they no longer face arrests, democracy is still intact. "I don’t know whether PM Modi is sensitive to public opinion, but the opinion everywhere will be that this man is crushing democracy. That helps us in a fight against the PM and the economic policies which we don’t like," the retired professor stated.

The CJP organized a two-day protest, focusing on the removal of Gyanesh Kumar over irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. Due to Jantar Mantar no longer being a permitted protest site, the group opted for Central Park as their gathering location for Friday and Saturday.