JNU‬ Fracas: Missing the Point

Anyone who has deeply pursued the ‪Leftist‬, the ‪‎Communist‬ and the‪ Marxist‬ literature, and intellectually ingested the burning writings on the Radical or the Ultra-Left ideology should be verbosely enlightened about the verity that the rich conviction has always held survival in anti-establishment philosophy and not against the “national interest”, to say the least. Nevertheless, what constitutes the interest of nation is a subjective and debatable notion for political, intellectual and economic dogmas thriving in country. No point stirring up a hornet’s nest!

The ambivalent struggle that is fray painted in ‘‪Red‬’ in the prevailing ‘‪Saffronized‬’ political spectrum that underpins the political and media discourse presently, is all cacophony, devoid of any lucid cause. In short, it’s missing the point.

Be it the ‘aggressor’ ruling dispensation or the ‘victim’ left or a political unit that is in an invariable hunt under its clueless Prince to remain consequential - all are bemused and also intimidated by the future turn of events. The smoke from the burning firewood is so perplexing in tang that opting for an extinguishing agent appears far more disconcerting exercise than the dent caused by the fire itself.

In our ‪Constitution is unmistakably enshrined that country is a union of “composite culture and ideology.” Consequently, Indian democracy, a very full-bodied one, cements its core ideology in all the ideologies – nationalist, socialist, communist, capitalist, and others – at its behest. So, it’s inherent in the DNA and rightly such.

It’s on the principle akin to the introduction of ‘secular’ which otherwise isn’t articulately highlighted in the Constitution. Dr. Ambedkar in his reply to professor KT Shah who once moved amendments to the Drafting Committee’s proposals with a view to insert ‘secular’ in the Constitution. “It is perfectly possible today for the majority people to hold that the socialist organization of society is better than the capitalist organization of society. But it would be perfectly possible for thinking people to devise some other form of social organization which might be better than the socialist organization of today or of tomorrow. I do not see therefore why the Constitution should tie down the people to live in a particular form and not leave it to the people themselves to decide it for themselves. This is one reason why the amendment should be opposed.”

Similarly, it’s binding on us to apprehend and accommodate diverse thoughts inside the strongly built corridors of the ideology that we practice no matter how dis-interesting and unmatched they are since the ultimate goal of all should be one: “Progress of Nation.”
Leftists shouldn’t undermine the academic knack of the Rightists, and the latter shouldn’t frown upon the protesting views of the former since all should, if implemented in true, free and liberal spirit, by design, act as nothing but catalyst to progress of nation. Dissent can’t ever be detrimental to health of a vigorous democracy as it only blooms in an intellectual society.

The intellectually elite Left shouldn’t underrate the nationalist flavor existent in ideology of Right, since country’s vast majority still relates with the same. India maybe a more than 60 year old democracy, it’s still on way to become a mature one. Left should surely concede the same and not try to position itself Supreme and sole moral voice in the barrage of principally diverse echoes. To get positioned as Supreme only detaches the core belief of the Left i.e. to elevate the voice of the marginalized and the weakest section of society. Since most of the fresh recruits are oblivious of its inherent ideology, Left is such a dismal set-up now in the political gamut of the country.

Below are queries which need urgent counters:

•JNU leader ‪KanhaiyaKumar‬’s arrest raises some more questions. Was his arrest a knee-jerk reaction from the ruling dispensation under pressure from the nationalist ‪RSS‬ and the media? Did Home Minister Rajnath Singh jump the gun in ordering arrest on the basis of an unverified tweet of Hafiz Saeed? Was the student leader actually trying to diffuse the situation and stopping anti-national chants from being raised in the varsity campus, as his supporters claim?

•Was the anti-national sloganeering, the work of miscreants and outsiders? If yes, then why didn’t the students in campus file an FIR against them? Why haven’t those miscreants been arrested till now?

Capital Punishment is a debatable issue in today’s world. Our Constitution provides rights even to the enemies of the State to get a fair trial.‪AfzalGuru‬’s case can be debated on the similar lines. Those who have followed his trial and execution will make sense out of my words, but chanting slogans seeking disintegration of India in semblance of Cultural Event defeats the entire purpose. The issues of Naxalism and Kashmir entice diverse standpoints from different sections of society in the country, and a few hold contentious leanings, but still hold debatable significance if they don’t carry violent-shades.

Majority of the JNU, indisputably, has been on anti-establishment and anti-Army plank for years now, but one must not forget: any ideology only thrives till it can be breathed in free air. In bondage, even lion eats grass.

India, a vibrant democracy that it is, encapsulates and embraces all views. To reason out that the civil activists in question must spend nights on war fronts to imbibe some nationalistic fervor is an irrational testimonial to utter since the robustness of a democracy can be ensured only when civil activists are not party to a certain nationalistic sentiment. So comes there a noticeable demarcation in the functioning territory of the Civil Society and the Army. Any one of the two that violates the unwritten treaty only transports shakiness to the rich concept of vivacious democracy. A wonderful case study is in our neighborhood to analyze!

By Ashish Pandey