Would Gujarat Governor, govt 'open up' their premises for NGOs? Activists apprehensive

By Rajiv Shah 

Soon after I uploaded my blog about the Gujarat Governor possibly softening his stance on NGOs—evidenced by allowing a fisherfolk association to address the media at a venue controlled by the Raj Bhawan about India’s alleged failure to repatriate fishermen from Pakistani prisons—one of the media conference organizers called me. He expressed concern that my blog might harm their efforts to secure permission to hold meetings on state premises.

I cannot predict how the Raj Bhawan might respond or whether it has indeed softened its stance on NGOs. However, it is undeniable that, in recent times, the space for addressing the media or holding meetings in public venues on sensitive human rights issues has drastically diminished. Even private hotels hesitate to rent their spaces due to fear of repercussions.

The fisherfolk media meet organizer’s apprehension wasn’t unfounded. After the strong critical remarks made during the media conference, there is reason for fear that the Governor’s establishment might exercise more caution in allowing its premises,at the Mehdi Nawaz Jung Hall in Ahmedabad to be used in the future. However, I fail to understand why my blog is being blamed for simply questioning whether the Raj Bhawan had softened its stance on NGOs.

After all, several media representatives, including one from a prominent English daily and multiple Gujarati TV channels, attended the event. While the English daily published a human-interest story highlighting the suffering of fishermen’s families, it avoided quoting the strong criticism of the Modi government for its alleged failure to begin the process of repatriating "innocent" fishermen from Pakistani prisons. I am confident, however, that a few TV channels reported on the matter.

Moreover, Intelligence Bureau (IB) personnel, who are invariably present at such events, would have likely submitted reports on the critical remarks made against the Government of India, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the media conference. Would this prompt the Raj Bhawan in Gandhinagar to exercise greater caution in approving such requests in the future? Or has it indeed softened its stance? Only the Raj Bhawan can answer that.

Despite the Gujarat government's loud claims of democracy, there is a growing perception that freedom of expression has taken a backseat. Meetings are now often held in lesser-known private venues or NGO offices instead of publicly available spaces, whether privately or government-owned. The underlying reason appears to be fear of government-backed crackdowns.

The Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), once a popular venue for such meetings, is now approached only when no criticism of the government is expected. Some prominent speakers at AMA have confided in me that they were "pre-warned" to avoid criticizing the government, particularly the Modi administration.

In at least one instance, a hotel venue was raided. While the exact reason remains unclear, it is notable that this was where former BJP Chief Minister Suresh Mehta—a known critic of Modi—had held several press conferences.

Recently, I suggested to an NGO leader that they consider approaching the Congress office, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, for meetings, including media conferences. The response was that they didn’t want to be associated with a political party. Shouldn’t the Congress leadership work to clear such apprehensions? Wouldn’t that help establish rapport with NGOs, especially when their funding sources—both foreign and domestic—are under increasing scrutiny?