Yes, a meeting at JNU to commemorate the presumably unjust hanging of Afzal Guru was organised by a student group called DSU along with Ex DU teacher SarGilani, acquitted in Parliament attack case due to want of evidence by the Supreme Court of India, where many Kashmiri students and activists had arrived for the meeting.
Sensing a possible disturbance or clash with ABVP, permission was withdrawn by the VC and that led to anti India sloganeering by some of the assembled members who perceived a conspicuous biasness against their cause. However, it went against the law and attracted a prompt police action.
Nevertheless, the Govt. and the BJP messed up badly. Its senior leaders and the Home Minister himself loomed large over the law enforcing agency and preposterous statements were made to further vitiate the picture in contravention to rule of law. Some even went ahead of the Court of law in pronouncing who is guilty and what quantum of punishment is to be awarded in the way one BJP MLA and lawyers beating up the arrested JNU president, other students and Journalists at the court premise itself.
Unlike what is generally observed in mature democracies where public figures try to control and bring objectivity to sensitive situations, Indians failed to stand together and douse the conflagration. Here, the BJP and her student wing ABVP wanted to project themselves high on nationalism and build a strong case of sedition against the JNU students. Unfortunately, they overdid in their act and gave a heavy political colouring.
Had police been allowed to do their job quietly, the accused if found guilty could have been punished accordingly and public at large would have accepted the objectivity though JNU may have protested loud and noisy.
Now, the worrying question is why such aberrations are taking place now and then? JNU case is not an isolated one. Uproar against Hyderabad University VC and HRD Minister for biased victimisation of Dalit Students resulting to committing of suicide by one of them, over a clash with ABVP, has hardly died down. Under this present regime, Universities across the country are experiencing a heighten activism of ABVP disturbing academic peaceful environment. Why would the regime patronise such activism and the JNU drama?
The answer is not difficult to find. It’s the function of 03 woes of Indian Politics. The first woe is Negative electoral Party Politics. Political parties jostle for space to capture power as it is a number game in the first pass the post electoral system. Political parties, irrespective of different hue and shades indulge in wooing votes in grey area of communal ideology, extreme regionalism, community or caste arithmetic etc. Lately, election is free from muscle power excepting few disturbed areas and role of money power is being minimised but the Election Commission is still baffled in tackling against wooing votes in the grey area.
In this context, the BJP govt. cannot be expected to reign in against the Sangh activities, as they share a common ideology and the former derives her political strength from the latter. In order to stay afloat politically, polarising agendas of Hindutva and Akhand Bharat are indispensable for the ruling party.
The second woe is promise by political class to restore past lost glory and pride of India in international community, within a minimum time. Middle class and rural gentry have taken the agenda seriously and expect the govt. of India to be strong headed all the time in all matters concerning foreign affairs, economic partnership, territorial disputes and internal political problems.
Consequently, little progress has been made in many vital fronts as every Party that comes to power at Central and State found themselves hemmed handed in dealing with foreign powers and rebel groups in a manner that involve give and take negotiation least the electorate perceive them to be compromising the interest and pride of India. Opposition would, given a chance, gladly hammer the last blow though prudent and amply beneficial the act may be for the country in long run.
The unrealistic approach towards nationalism has re-coiled them badly. But still, many have not learned the hard lesson and it is very evident that the BJP is still playing the fire ball for short term gain. No modern nation would compromise on nationalism but what that matters is how do you harness the feeling from the citizens and for what purpose you use it.
The third woe is that the State has been arrogated a role bigger than it can deliver. May be it came about with Nehruvian socialism and Communist movements. As the country was and is still a nation of the needy and ignorance, the state is believed to be capable of delivering every need. In reality, even God himself doesn’t do that. Populist politics further accentuated the misleading.
The negative fallout is, firstly, it makes the govt. and bureaucrats appear to be omnipotent and give them opportunity to misuse resources and power. Secondly, it kills individual initiative and community based initiative in social development. Not much work is moved on the ground owing to corruption and lack of resources. The result is failure to deliver welfare and the public angst is directed fully to the public agencies. This Impossible promise has to be withdrawn and let the public share the responsibility as well.
The misgoverning effect of the three woes at work has created a miserable situation in the country. Against this backdrop, the JNU row is no doubt a clash of ideologies and approaches vis-a-vis subjugation of the poor in the country.
Leftist students deeply believe in power of the State in doing social good if the govt. of the day is honest and pro-poor and also have perception that the establishment in the country is to perpetuate domination by few haves and higher castes. They also have a feeling that problems including Kashmir issue are being perpetuated without any seriousness for solution. The university and students voice for alternative approach of how the country is being governed.
While on the other hand, the BJP and the Sangh are determined to dislodge the left from the vantage point and find a foothold in Universities for Hindutva ideology. They have Political support base and finance capable of winning elections but in the sphere of intellectual arena their intellectual stand and sense of history still sounds fictitious and hollow. This is one of the reasons why ABVP is being pushed and VCs friendly to them are being appointed but the back door tactics is creating a tense situation in Campuses.
The JNU anti India sloganeering and the alarmist reaction by the rightist have polarised the nation. There are people calling for unqualified display of nationalism, zipping up freedom of speech and shutting down of JNU and there are those who seek restrain and want some soul searching exercise to exorcise the resident devil that disturbs harmony in the country.
In conclusion, the take away from this unhappy episode is that priorities and compulsions are there for every political Party as India is a complicated polity but there is no excuse to shy away from moral responsibility and exercise restraint on sensitive issues that affect greater interest of India. The onus is on the political parties to restrain themselves from activities though lucrative in political dividend but toxic to democracy.
Also, every Public figure in all walks of life, should know where to stand and work together for greater common goal of the country. Ideologies are important, issues may be dear to one’s heart but peace and harmony of India comes first for every faithful citizens of this country. Problems will never end but how one sees it and tries to tackle the situation is what that matters. The same goes for Nagaland and the Naga community.
Ellin Raingam
Lumding
