KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Congress did the ‘dance of defiance’, albeit in the secured environs of its Srinagar headquarters, Tuesday during a rally participated by who’s who in state’s Congress.
As “Ragda, Ragda: Modi Ragda” jig resounded inside Congress office, on the fashionable M A Road, it was a throwback to 2010 when the dance was the signature street step of youth to express their rage against Indian establishment in Kashmir.
The Congress took out a rally led by president GA Mir against BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and other right-wingers. They protested the suspension of Congress MPs, Modi government and what they call “killing of democracy”.
Earlier when Sopore was bleeding under mysterious killings, the working president of National Conference, Omar Abdullah took out a rally in Srinagar where NC wallas did a Ragda stunt against Mufti government.
Interestingly, Ragda for youth has been a defiance move against Delhi since 2008. They would dance in circles, stomping feet on ground, and shouting: “Ragda, Ragda: Bharat Ko Ragda!”
Ragda is a long Urdu poem said to have appeared shortly after 1857 Gader. It was later revived by the Indian Muslims during India’s struggle for freedom. In 2008, Masarat Alam revived it and indigenized it for Kashmir.
And now, unionists are making peace with Ragda jig that once left them red-faced!
