Anand Ranganathan on the recent events at JNU (This note is dated 28 Feb 16) Anand Ranganathan is Consulting Editor and Columnist, http://www.Newslaundry.com Introduction I have reproduced the tweets of Anand Ranganathan of Newslaundry in this presentation. I think the Internet Hindus will quite easily be able to relate to the essential points, as expressed in the tweet in the opening page. There are some tweets that the Internet Hindu will disagree on. But not on the overall message. There is a need to understand that the recent event in JNU was not a stand-alone event. The communist has used the forum of JNU for their agenda for a long time. There has been the case where these communists celebrated the murder of security forces by Naxalites. And they seriously beat up a couple of army men who objected to anti-India propaganda being projected by some invited Pakistani speakers. The other source of anger amongst the public is that JNU is heavily subsidised by the state. But the agitators seem to be least interested in pursuing an academic career, and using the state money to conduct an anti-state propaganda. In contrast, there are perhaps more than 80% of the students and the academics at JNU who have sincere desire to do what they are supposed to do. And there are those in the other universities who are not receiving any or much less state support for their higher studies. They not only want to enter proper careers, but use their earnings to help their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Another point that the Internet Hindus would like to emphasise is the role played by the media in not projecting the events in a fair manner. The points that I have made are not with an intention to nitpick but to take the discussion forward. Ashok Chowgule. Working President (External) Vishwa Hindu Parishad, India. The media has done its best to hide the excellent work being done. They have projected as if the full student body, and the full faculty, is out agitating. Many students and faculty who are against the agitators have spoken out, but their voices are covered in a corner of an inside page, or they are never invited to the television debates to confront the agitators. In the fourth tweet, the operative part is ‘if he is up to it’. And if he is not, should the government be a silent spectator? The agitators are neither deluded nor misguided. They are playing out a role that the communist ideology that they have been brainwashed in. And for this there is a need to hold people like Sitaram Yechury, Romilla Thappar, etc. responsible. Also in the media, the likes of Rajdeep Sardesai, Barkha Dutt, Shekhar Gupta, etc., are also to be held responsible, because they are romanticising the agitation. For example, calling the agitators students, tars the whole student community. And nowhere is it told what they are studying and how good are they are it. Criticsing the government may sound nice, but an alternative has to be provided. Remember that the present agitation is not a stand-alone affair. There is a long series of such behaviour, which has been encouraged because the agitators were not rebuked by the media and the other ‘intellectuals. (Contd) Contd from the previous page. Re the police. There is a law and order situation that has been created by the agitators. Unless one says that JNU is not a territory of India, which the agitators think, the police have a right to intervene. And the rest of the citizens of India will want the police to act suitably. If they fail, others will step in, and then it will not be nice, as has been seen even in this case. I am sure that the government does not want to involve itself. But what happens when the Vice Chancellor either does not do what is to be done, or is not able to do it? The media and the ‘intellectuals’ have done their damnest best to intellectually terrorise both the VC and the govenrment. These agitators look like that they are well fed and well clothed. That is because they are paid for by the citizens of India who have a high respect for the Tiranga. Surely, the citizens expect them to be accountable. Brain-washed by whom? And, if he is the cynosure of the media, is not the media also brain-washed? Or also wants the students brainwashed? THE PEOPLE are not celebrating the man, or made him into a hero. It is those occupying the intellectual space that are celebrating. And he is being glorified by many ‘academics’ in the West who have signed petition in his favour. Let us hold the right persons responsible. No, Anandji you are not wrong. What is needed is to correct the situation. Keeping the humanities separate, without dealing with the problem, will mean that the problem will still exist. It will be like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Did these agitators ever study? Have they really seen the inside of a library except to drag the students who are doing their work there, to join them in their agitation in which the studious students have no interest? Will people like Prof Das and Prof Ghosh be the cynosure of the media? Will they be invited to the TV studios and get extensively interviewed by the media? I am sure they will not be because it would mean that the media has to admit to their readers that they have been deliberately lying all the time.