Ramjas College Controversy & Freedom of Expression

RSS students wing ABVP or left wing students union like AISA or DSU are no saints. I condemn both the right win & left wing student groups for violence in Ramjas College of Delhi University. If ABVP has threatened violence against girls then it is condemnable & culprits must be punished. Any act of violence has no place in India.

We are fortunate to have freedom of expression. Millions of people around the world had dies fighting for freedom of expression throughout history. We must protect this freedom at any cost as this is the backbone of world’s largest democracy. But is this absolute? Our constitution says that freedom of expression in not absolute. You have all the freedom to say but you can’t express you feeling against the state itself which safeguards your fundamental rights. I was hurt with the events of JNU last years. How a few students can chants slogan against India in the heart of Delhi in a public funded University? Is chanting “Bharat ki Barbadi tak Kashmir ki Aadi tak jung karenge jung karenge”, “Bharat ke solah tukrade honge Insa Allah Insa Allah”, “Kitne Afzal maroge har ghar se Afzal niklega”, “ladkar lenge Azadi, cheen kar lenge Azadi, Azadi Azadi, Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad” etc. freedom of expression. How can “Death to India” or wish for balkanization of India can be accepted here.

Now in Ramjas College, prime accused in JNU Anti-National protest Umar Khalid & Shehla Rashid, against whom an FIR was registered in Aligarh for "unwarranted comments" against Prophet Mohammad were invited to give a speech. Given their background, college student Union president Yogit Rathi (independent candidate who won Last year’s election) complained to college authorities and college authorities refused to give permission for the above two mentioned speakers. After that the right & left groups clashed with each other. Now whole so called “Secular Media” is attacking the Govt. that this is not acceptable & everyone has a right to speak. But my question to them is – At what cost we should allow anti-nationals to speak? Is our sovereignty negotiable or our independence not absolute? You have every right to criticize Government, our current system, our state. But you can’t question the integrity of India. That’s Non Negotiable.

I have sympathy with Gurmehar Kaur. She is a brave daughter of a brave Army captain who gave supreme sacrifice in 1999 to save his camp from terrorists. There can’t be a worst thing for a child to lose a father at the age of 2. But I think her father would not have approved her statement that Pakistan doesn’t kill Indian soldiers but war. I pray that she will continue to grow in her own life.

One of “intellectual” my friend quoted on Facebook that - Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” - Samuel Johnson, 1775. Whatever you call us- scoundrel, dogs etc, only mother India matters to us. We will tolerate all abuses, everything except anything against India. Does Liberalism means attacking your own hose, own motherland? If yes, then I don’t want to be called as progressive Liberal. I am happy as to be called as Saffron right minded illiterate who only cares for his own Mother. Remember an ordinary village girl “Joan of Arc” defeated the might of English in 14^th century France. A simple barrister Gandhi successfully challenged the might of British Empire without a weapon. A common 23 year old man called Baghat Singh happily sacrificed his life for this same mother land. Apart from soldiers, 1.25 billion ordinary citizens doesn’t sacrifice (by paying taxes, obeying Law, giving respect to country) everyday just to hear slogans like “Bharat ki Barbadi” (Death to India).