Counterview: Urging Centre to take over Auroville a call for serious overreach of State power ASHISH KOTHARI 26 February, 2022
There have been internal and external tensions at Auroville. But resolving these can't be done through violent actions and top-down imposition by the State.
When it comes to pronouncing judgements on a dispute between a grounded movement trying to articulate its democratic rights, and a government that does not respect such rights, it is all too easy to blame the ‘foreign hand’.
Auroville’s residents are not preparing to “legally challenge the contours of the (Auroville Foundation) Act”, they are challenging the one-sided interpretation of the Act by the Foundation’s power-holders. It is worth bearing in mind that the Act has a fine-tuned balance between its three constituent bodies: the Governing Board, the Resident’s Assembly, and the International Advisory Council whose function is to advise the Board.
Next, there has to my understanding not been a single action where Aurovilians have sought to undermine Indian laws, much less its ‘territorial integrity’. Namasivayam’s flimsy evidence for these serious charges is about some foreign youth challenging the jurisdiction of the police during the above-mentioned incidents, and “one youth” challenging the jurisdiction of the Foundation’s Secretary (a central government appointee). First, the video I have seen has a young woman simply telling the police that ‘this is illegal’, which, given that the bulldozing was happening in the dead of night and without work orders, is perfectly understandable. She even says that they should come back in the day with proper laws.
This is not the same thing as challenging the legal jurisdiction of the police, which Namasivayam alleges (unless he has some other video of some other youth, which he should then produce).
The internal divisions over what kind of infrastructural developments should take place to implement The Mother’s vision. But resolving these cannot be done through violent actions and top-down imposition by the State, siding with one view held by a few residents, ignoring alternative plans that other residents have provided which can help avoid ecological and social disruption, and sidestepping the consultative process mandated by the Auroville Foundation Act. If the Indian State is serious about democracy (and that of course is a very big ‘if’), such high-handedness is completely the wrong direction to go.
Auroville doesn’t give foreigners right to undermine India’s laws. SATHEESH NAMASIVAYAM
22 February, 2022 https://theprint.in/opinion/auroville-doesnt-give-foreigners-right-to-undermine-indias-laws-govt-must-step-in/840895/ Govt must step in
India has been generously hosting an international experiment, but it cannot be a bystander to foreign residents’ rebellion against Indian authorities.