The Communists, true to their Goebbelsian character i.e. “Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes the truth” resort to distortion of facts by alleging that the ABVP activists hit them, while evidences prove otherwise
Gaurav Jha
DU mein mara hai, JNU mein bhi jawab denge Aapaki lash ko samandar mein phenk denge Do you think this intimidation came from the mouth of an uncouth criminal? NO. This is how the prime accused of anti-India programme in JNU on February 9, 2015, Umar Khalid – presently out on bail – threatened an ABVP leader, Saurabh Sharma, on February 22 at the same infamous Sabarmati Dhaba (where the anti-India programme was organised). Ideally, the crowd should have protested against this threat to a student leader belonging to the same University. But it responded with an ecstatic cheer, applause and hooting.
The context of Khalid’s threat was in response to the protests surrounding cancellation of a programme at Delhi University’s Ramjas College by the Administration two days before the programme. Khalid and Shehla Rashid were to address that programme. The event was cancelled because the organisers had sought permission under the false pretext of having a “cultural programme” and not citing the exact nature of the programme. Point to be noted is that even for the February 9 programme, Khalid had himself earlier sought permission under the garb of same ‘Cultural Evening’ but actually demonstrated his nefarious designs later.
First, it was highly objectionable that Umar Khalid, booked by Delhi Police and who is facing trial at Delhi High Court for anti-India sloganeering during an event organised to condemn the hanging of terrorist Afzal on February 9, 2016 in JNU, was invited to speak at Ramjas campus on February 21, 2017. Khalid has a history of disturbing peace of academic institutions by inciting crowd with provocative anti-India and anti-Hindu rants. He was involved in giving calls for ‘Azaadi’ and fragmenting the country into pieces, evoking emotions by appealing to political fault lines and demanding liberation of Kashmir and eulogising terrorists like Afzal as heroes.
Nevertheless, ABVP stands in totality with respect to an individual’s right to free speech in tune with the popular phrase attributed to Voltaire, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. Yet, this principle cannot be applied in the case of concerned programme as the permission for it was sought under false pretext, thus rendering it unethical as well as illegal.
When the organisers of the event comprising largely of left leaning faculty members and students were informed that their programme had been cancelled and the cause for cancellation was also reasoned to them, they refused to back down and insisted on continuing with the programme.
On the planned day of the programme, All India Students Association (AISA) activists and Students Federation of India (SFI) activists of JNU along with largely non-DU communists including “comrades in faculty” (as Khalid addresses teachers) attempted to barge into the venue and when prevented by security staffs, they began to raise anti-India slogans within the premises of the College. These included well known left leaning teachers, students and members of left academic cabal.
Some of the slogans that they raised and have been recorded include: “Bastar Chahe Azadi! Kashmir Maange Azadi!”
ABVP vehemently condemned the anti-India sloganeering. Criticising the government is one of the inalienable Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution, secessionism is deemed seditious according to the First Amendment to the Constitution, made on June 18, 1951.
Expectedly, the irrational sloganeerings were met by peaceful but resolute protests from the students of Ramjas College, who saw this as an attempt to blacken its century old legacy. The massive students’ participation against the event was led by president of Ramjas College Student Union, Yogit Rathi.
Perplexed, the rampant Leftist brigades of AISA and SFI started misbehaving and abusing the silent protesters of Ramjas College. Due to the ruckus created by the Leftist hooligans, some common students sought help from Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) in order to resolve the issues as soon as possible. However, these communists did not even respect the integrity of these elected representatives of Students Union and hurled abuses at DUSU office bearers. Subsequently, the Leftists manhandled the DUSU office bearers and instigated violence against them. Shockingly, the Police sided with the AISA and SFI activists rather than protecting the common students.
Not surprisingly, the communists, true to their Goebbelsian character i.e. “Repeat a lie a thousand times and it becomes the truth”, are resorting to distortion of facts by alleging that the ABVP activists hit them while evidences prove otherwise. For doing so, they’re using their strong ecosystem in the academia and media.
Division within the Leftist fold
However, apart from this usual invective of Left against the ABVP, another interesting point that cannot be ignored here is the divide within the Left fraternity after this episode. Many of the prominent Leftists have distanced themselves or have outrightly condemned the way the AISA and SFI attempted to manufacture an artificial dissent in DU at the expense of other left liberals.
A JNU PhD research scholar Rahul Mishra, who was quite active in students’ politics and was activist of Democratic Students Federation (DSF), expressed his disillusionment with Left politics.
The DSF was created in 2012 after the CPM disbanded the entire JNU unit of its students’ wing SFI for dissenting against party’s support to Pranab Mukherjee’s bid for Presidency. Typical communist intolerance against free speech!
Hypocrisy of Left Liberals
While self-proclaimed liberals have jumped in to defend Khalid”s right to free speech, this is also an opportune moment to question the hypocrisy of these ‘liberals’. Recently, a controversy erupted in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) over an invite to former Vice President of JNU Students Union (JNUSU) Shehla Rashid and she was barred from entering the campus. Earlier, an FIR was filed by AMUSU against Rashid, for her Facebook post, dated January 9, 2017 in which she had insulted Lord Ram as well as called the Prophet Muhammed a “pedophile” and “rapist”.
Ideally, the self-proclaimed champions of free speech should have stormed the AMU and voiced against subjugation of free speech as they did in DU. Similarly, they”re maintaining a sordid silence over attack on Tarek Fatah by Islamists, that occurred almost at same time on February 21 at Jashn-e-Rekhta when Khalid had his programme scheduled in the DU. Most mainstream media houses and liberals hushed the news under carpet. On contrary, these people created fracas on slapping of a Bollywood filmmaker recently in Rajasthan.
ABVP strongly condemnned these nefarious tactics of the Leftists and warned them to refrain from slandering activities. The Parishad always stood for the nation’s cause and would continue to do so in the future as well. It also demanded the DU?Vice Chancellor and Ramjas College administration as well as law enforcement agencies to initiate an enquiry against teachers, students and other outsiders, who raised anti-India slogans in the premier College.
(The writer pursues PhD at US Studies Division in JNU)
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