The illiberalism shown by liberals may end up harming their cause significantly.
Liberals versus Conservatives : Really?
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Ramjas College at Delhi recently saw an ugly battle between two warring camps : One, the self-styled liberals, and Second, the Conservative nationalists. Ramjas is known for a rich tradition of students coming from a diverse background – affluent to modest income groups, private schools to government ones. It has a glorious history. What do all parties agree on? That violence is bad, that violence has no place on campuses, and it has to be condemned. Agreed. What will everyone never agree on? That Umar Khalid, the main character responsible for instigating the passions of both the camps, is not an academic at all (despite being a Ph.D. student), as compared to other participants in the talk. His main draw (attraction) is that he is being investigated in a sedition case, and is a central figure in the violence that wracked the JNU campus in 2016. So what was the college administration thinking? That no one will be offended? Or did they want to inflame passions? What does the Delhi Police FIR say against these characters? That the protest meeting was about – (1) Judicial Killing of Afzal Guru etc. (killing?), (2) “History of occupation of Kashmir” (occupation?). [FIR was about a poster]
Everyone agrees that “nationalist” is a tricky word. We can all differ about that. India has been accommodating people of multiple colours since centuries. But the JNU protest was by those who saw India as a “jail of nationalities” bound together by coercion! Nothing can be farther from the truth (just compare what’s going on in Tibet and Xinjiang). A moot question : If it is ok to invite Umar Khalid, then what is wrong in inviting Sadhvi Prachi (saffron brigade)? Freedom of speech cannot be selective but has to extend to everyone. Otherwise what kind of liberalism is that? An illiberal one? It is clear that the college administration (or some activist faculty) has made a big mistake in allowing such an event. This can severely harm the college.
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