Write a short note on any two struggles for full enjoyment of citizen rights which have taken place in India in recent years. Which rights were being claimed in each case?
Each of the rights now enjoyed by citizens has been won after struggle. In India, several movements have emerged to claim full rights of citizenship.
The women's movement in India has been fighting for equal rights and opportunities. Their purpose is to change public opinion by drawing attention to their needs as well as to influence government policy to ensure them equal rights and opportunities. They feel they are being denied full rights of citizenship.
Another significant struggle was waged by slum-dwellers in Bombay. In 1985, social activist Olga Tellis filed a Public Interest Litigation against Bombay Municipal Corporation. The petition claimed the right to live on pavements or in slums because there was no alternative accommodation available close to their place of work. The Supreme Court ruled that Article 21 of the Constitution, which guaranteed the right to life, included the right to livelihood. It stated that if pavement dwellers were to be evicted, they should first be provided alternative accommodation under the right to shelter.
These struggles indicate that democratic citizenship is a project, an ideal to work towards, as new demands are constantly raised by groups who feel marginalised.
Explanation
The textbook context mentions two clear examples of struggles for citizen rights in India: (1) the women's movement and dalit movement fighting for equal rights and opportunities, and (2) the Olga Tellis case (1985) where slum-dwellers struggled for the right to livelihood and shelter. The answer focuses on these two struggles as they are explicitly mentioned in the context with specific details about the rights claimed.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Identify two struggles from the context - women's movement and slum-dwellers' struggle (Olga Tellis case)
Step 2: Describe the women's movement - fighting for equal rights and opportunities, changing public opinion, influencing government policy
Step 3: Describe the slum-dwellers' struggle - 1985 PIL by Olga Tellis, claimed right to live on pavements, Supreme Court linked right to life with right to livelihood and right to shelter
Step 4: Conclude by linking these struggles to the idea that democratic citizenship is an ongoing project