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Left-liberal ecosystem criticises govt for the sake of it: Former JNU scholar chief Shehla Rashid | India Information
NEW DELHI: Folks belonging to the ‘left and liberal ecosystem’ a whole lot of instances criticise the federal government only for the sake of it, mentioned Shehla Rashid, a former scholar chief on the Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNU) and as soon as a bitter critic of the BJP-led central authorities.
In an interview in the course of the Podcast with Smita Prakash, which aired on Wednesday, Shehla Rashid opened up about her turning right into a PM Modi fan from a critic.
The activist and academician mentioned she was surrounded by an “echo chamber” and the individuals vital of the federal government questioned her for ‘supporting’ the Centre’s choice to impose lockdown in the course of the Covid pandemic.
“So two issues, initially, I began supporting among the govt actions in 2020, which is the pandemic 12 months. At the moment I had supported the lockdown and since I hadn’t made any overtures in direction of the federal government. I used to be nonetheless surrounded by an echo chamber that instantly shut me down. They have been like why are you supporting the federal government? It was then that I realised for the very first time in 2020 that a whole lot of the criticism that ‘we’ do of the federal government is for the sake of it. And that is the place I come once more to the purpose of polarisation that simply because PM Modi is doing one thing and now we have to oppose it,” Shehla informed ANI, including that the ‘we’ right here means the left, liberal ecosystem or the people who find themselves vital to the federal government.
She additionally mentioned the Centre at the moment had no alternative however to impose a lockdown.
“I used to be very a lot a part of that echo chamber but I nonetheless noticed in international locations like Sweden and so forth, the place the governments did (impose) lockdown however the individuals protested in opposition to it citing residents’ rights, democracy and so forth. And within the US, the place the Trump administration didn’t (impose) a lockdown. (However) the academics (in US), you should have seen, saying that you’re sending us to the demise row by not shutting down. So what was the selection with the federal government in 2020 to close down or not shut down. I really feel that the federal government had no alternative however to lockdown,” she added.
Rashid, who gained prominence in 2016 for advocating the discharge of then JNU College students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and was arrested on sedition costs, not too long ago made headlines for a notable shift, applauding the central authorities for the ‘improved’ state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Communalism didn’t start when BJP got here’
She additionally mentioned that Muslims, as per tutorial consultants, classify themselves because the second largest majority as a substitute of a minority.
Shehla mentioned that communalism within the nation did not come when the BJP authorities got here to the Centre however its historical past might be traced 70 years again.
“Is there communalism on this nation, sure. 70 years again we have been partitioned on a spiritual foundation. So we can’t say that communalism started when the BJP got here in 2014. We now have been partitioned on non secular strains and it was a bloody partition by all accounts. There was communalism and there’ll proceed to be communalism. On the identical time, the issue with the vital orientation is that we solely deal with the negatives. We overlook to rejoice the positives,” she mentioned.
The activist mentioned that India is a humongous nation and there have been incidents of mob lynching and unlucky statements made in opposition to Muslims prior to now.
“Sure, they damage you as a Muslim, however as a Muslim can we preserve focusing or harping on that narrative on the negatives? I do not assume so as a result of we have misplaced years doing that. That is our nation as a lot as it’s anybody else’s nation,” Shehla mentioned.
She mentioned that Muslims ought to really feel fortunate that they’re on this nation and never anyplace else on this planet.
“Union residence minister Amit Shah throughout his go to to Srinagar informed Kashmiris that it’s their nation they usually can dwell and go wherever they need. These have been his actual phrases. And we must always take a second and acknowledge that we live by way of a traditionally vital part. We must be fortunate that we’re on this nation and never anyplace else on this planet proper now. As a result of there may be peace, there may be improvement and we have simply overtaken our former colonizers, the UK because the fifth largest economic system,” she mentioned additional.
(With inputs from ANI)
In an interview in the course of the Podcast with Smita Prakash, which aired on Wednesday, Shehla Rashid opened up about her turning right into a PM Modi fan from a critic.
The activist and academician mentioned she was surrounded by an “echo chamber” and the individuals vital of the federal government questioned her for ‘supporting’ the Centre’s choice to impose lockdown in the course of the Covid pandemic.
“So two issues, initially, I began supporting among the govt actions in 2020, which is the pandemic 12 months. At the moment I had supported the lockdown and since I hadn’t made any overtures in direction of the federal government. I used to be nonetheless surrounded by an echo chamber that instantly shut me down. They have been like why are you supporting the federal government? It was then that I realised for the very first time in 2020 that a whole lot of the criticism that ‘we’ do of the federal government is for the sake of it. And that is the place I come once more to the purpose of polarisation that simply because PM Modi is doing one thing and now we have to oppose it,” Shehla informed ANI, including that the ‘we’ right here means the left, liberal ecosystem or the people who find themselves vital to the federal government.
She additionally mentioned the Centre at the moment had no alternative however to impose a lockdown.
“I used to be very a lot a part of that echo chamber but I nonetheless noticed in international locations like Sweden and so forth, the place the governments did (impose) lockdown however the individuals protested in opposition to it citing residents’ rights, democracy and so forth. And within the US, the place the Trump administration didn’t (impose) a lockdown. (However) the academics (in US), you should have seen, saying that you’re sending us to the demise row by not shutting down. So what was the selection with the federal government in 2020 to close down or not shut down. I really feel that the federal government had no alternative however to lockdown,” she added.
Rashid, who gained prominence in 2016 for advocating the discharge of then JNU College students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and was arrested on sedition costs, not too long ago made headlines for a notable shift, applauding the central authorities for the ‘improved’ state of affairs in Jammu and Kashmir.
‘Communalism didn’t start when BJP got here’
She additionally mentioned that Muslims, as per tutorial consultants, classify themselves because the second largest majority as a substitute of a minority.
Shehla mentioned that communalism within the nation did not come when the BJP authorities got here to the Centre however its historical past might be traced 70 years again.
“Is there communalism on this nation, sure. 70 years again we have been partitioned on a spiritual foundation. So we can’t say that communalism started when the BJP got here in 2014. We now have been partitioned on non secular strains and it was a bloody partition by all accounts. There was communalism and there’ll proceed to be communalism. On the identical time, the issue with the vital orientation is that we solely deal with the negatives. We overlook to rejoice the positives,” she mentioned.
The activist mentioned that India is a humongous nation and there have been incidents of mob lynching and unlucky statements made in opposition to Muslims prior to now.
“Sure, they damage you as a Muslim, however as a Muslim can we preserve focusing or harping on that narrative on the negatives? I do not assume so as a result of we have misplaced years doing that. That is our nation as a lot as it’s anybody else’s nation,” Shehla mentioned.
She mentioned that Muslims ought to really feel fortunate that they’re on this nation and never anyplace else on this planet.
“Union residence minister Amit Shah throughout his go to to Srinagar informed Kashmiris that it’s their nation they usually can dwell and go wherever they need. These have been his actual phrases. And we must always take a second and acknowledge that we live by way of a traditionally vital part. We must be fortunate that we’re on this nation and never anyplace else on this planet proper now. As a result of there may be peace, there may be improvement and we have simply overtaken our former colonizers, the UK because the fifth largest economic system,” she mentioned additional.
(With inputs from ANI)
