Once Again, Jadavpur University is at the front page, and like many past occasions, this time also for all the wrong reasons. The fracas broke out when the left and ultra-left supported student union protested against the presence of Central Minister Babul Supriyo, heckled and abused him and not allowed him to enter the university campus, where he was scheduled to take part in a meeting. Protesting students demanded that Babul not to be allowed inside the campus and left no stone unturned, including physically abusing a central minister in order to stop him from entering their so called “Citadel”.

This incident once again exposed the true nature of so called Indian “Left-ideology” and how its supporters have used, rather misused the concept of democracy and “Freedom of Speech” for years.  Also, it has raised many uneasy questions for the current ruling party in Bengal on its role towards protecting people’s democratic rights.

Hypocrisy at its best (or worst):

Is JU outside India? When asked about the incident, many left leaders, In their defense, mentioned that the entire episode could have been avoided if Babul had followed their dictate and not tried to enter the university campus, and the same was boastfully mentioned, sometimes even glorified, by our famous left- intelligentsia.

What a great answer. Does it mean that Jadavpur University is out of India- where an Indian central government minister cannot enter because some student groups have issued “No-entry Order” against him? And surprisingly (or not), it is the same group that vehemently protested when government made Jammu and Kashmir an integral part of India by rescinding Article 370. If we go by the logic given by left leaders, restrictions in the valley, that witnessed bloodshed by Pakistan sponsored terrorists for long, is not acceptable in the pretext of freedom of speech and rights, but a minister can be stopped from entering into a university because of his political ideology.

As history has witnessed, such duplicity has always been a trademark of Indian left-wing politics. There were huge rallies and protest marches organized by them, to protest against any alleged human right violation by countries like the USA, Israel or any country which are perceived as “class-enemy” by these so-called protectors of human rights activists. However, their voices get (in)explicably muted whenever oppressing states are run by their comrade brothers- be it China, North Korea or Venezuela. Such bias has become trademark of Indian left aligned politics and one of the main reasons for plummeting popularity of these parties.

Surprise (In)action from the Administration:

What was even more surprising (or unsurprising), was the role of Administration and state government. One Central Minister was harassed and physically abused for more than two hours, and yet no firm or decisive action was taken by the police or state administration. Vice chancellor evaded the scene by taking refuge in a nursing home and eventually Governor, who is also the head of the University by virtue of his post, had to step in to rescue Babul Supriyo.

Many left supporters even gone far and questioned Governors’ activity. As the head of the Institution, Governor has every right to intervene, if there is any inappropriate incident takes place, specifically when Vice Chancellor of the University conveniently kept himself out of the scene. On the other hand, it is the same group that rejoiced the hyperactive role played by the then Governor of Bengal during the Singur crisis, many a times bordering his constitutional limits and openly criticizing the then State government.  

Elitist attitude does not help either:

Don’t be an Elitist and ignore the mass: The elitist behavior of many of the left student union leaders and their supporters are not helping their cause either. Many a times we get to hear that those who are intellectuals, can only understand the true essence of left ideology and that is why country’s premier institutes like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jadavpur University etc. are dominated by left leaning student unions. The offshoot of this attitude is a superiority complex and false belief that those who support right wing politics are not intelligent or educated enough. However, this argument has some major flaws in it.

• Famous war strategist Sun Tzu said that “If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle“. There is no doubt that JNU and JU are among some of the best institutes in India. But at the same time, there is no denial of the fact that these institutes do not even figure into world’s top-100 or top-200 educational institutes and thus the idea of educational supremacy does not hold a very valid ground. On the other hand, there are many right-wing leaders and supporters, who are educated in ivy league educational institutes. Overestimating own self and underestimating opposition can only expedite the downhill movement of left supporter-base.

• In last general election, right wing BJP fetched unprecedented vote share of more than 40%. Thus, associating their ideology with lack of intellect is not only a false reflection of realty, but also can be seen as an effort to undermine the mindset and thought process of common Indian voters. There is no point of having a political ideology, if that cannot address the concern and aspiration of common men.

• Even if, for a moment, one believes that left ideology is truly for intellectuals, it does not hold any value in electoral politics and democratic processes, unless and until the message can be spread among mass. Also, it is quite surprising that ideology, that claims itself to be an elixir for all the problems of poor and working classes, still finds itself encircled within handful of so called “intellectuals” and fails to attract attention of common people. The disconnect with common people is probably the biggest problem that Indian left-wing politics is facing, and to address this, the leaders must come out of their cocoon of intellectual shell and face the realty.

In any democracy, opposition plays a crucial role to uphold the sanctity of constitution and democratic rights. Thus, when government behaves in an autocratic manner, it is natural for opposition to raise their voice and protest such activities. That is what acts as checks and balance for the system and sign of a healthy democracy. However, when the oppositions themselves start behaving in a dictatorial manner, not only they squander the opportunity to hold moral high ground and protest against similar government activities, but also lose credential in the eyes of common men. One cannot oppose acts which they themselves indulge into, and when one does, that’s not a good sign, neither for themselves, nor for the country.

Screenshot from the video uploaded on the Twitter

Image Courtesy: Twitter

Author’s Note: All Views expressed on this site are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity whosoever with which I have been, am now or will be affiliated.