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'Anybodywhodoesnotagreewiththemisantinational'Rediff.com

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'Anybodywhodoesnotagreewiththemisantinational'
April27,201610:24IST

'Thejudgesaidthatanybodywhodoesnotbelieve
in the RSS ideology is not acceptable to you. You
have terminated his contract because he thought
differently.'
'The Modi government has no accomplishment to
show. Therefore, they are using the tool of
nationalism to divert the country's attention from
very serious things like farmers suicides and the
watercrisis.'
'You cannot simply dismiss anyone because they
are not willing to raise a slogan and not think like
you.'

agsaysay Award winner Professor Sandeep

Pandey,image,left,oftheBenaresHinduUniversityis
ecstaticaftertheAllahabadhighcourtdirectedBHUto
reinstatehim.
In January, Dr Pandey was sacked from his job and
termed an 'antinational' and a 'Naxalite' by BHU
authorities.
A PhD in mechanical engineering from Berkeley
University in the US, Dr Pandey was a visiting
professor at IITBHU for mechanical and chemical
engineeringclasses.
DrPandeyspoketoSyedFirdausAshraf/Rediff.com
afterhisreinstatement.
Afterthecourtverdict,doyouthinkyourstancehasbeenvindicatedthatitwasaSanghParivarploytooustyoufrom
BHU?
Ihavebeenvindicatedbecauseifyoulookatthejudgment,itclearlysaysthecomplainant(astudent)belongstoacertain
ideology.Hebelievedinacertainideologyandtheadministratorsoftheuniversityalsobelievedinthatideology.
ThesepeoplecombinedtookactionagainstmebecauseIhaveafaithinadifferentkindofideology.Soitwasessentiallya
conflictofideology.Mycontractwasterminatedbecauseofthisdifference.
Thecourtsaidtheadministratorsoftheuniversityshouldremainneutral.Theirdecisionshouldnotbeinfluencedbytheir
ideology. More importantly, the court quoted Hindu Mahasabha leader Madan Mohan Malviya, who is the founder of the
university,whichIdidn'tknowofbeforereadingthejudgment.
He(PanditMalviya) had said India does not belong to Hindus alone.There are Sikhs, Parsis, Muslims and Christians. It
belongstoallofthem.Andonlyifpeoplefromdifferentfaithslivetogetherwillthecountrybestrengthened.
ThisisaclearcriticismoftheRSSideologywhichtriestoforceHindutvaideologyuponpeople,andsaysthatthereisa
placeforpeoplefollowingdifferentreligionsandfollowingdifferentideologies.
The court also defended freedom of expression clearly. It said that I was entitled to my opinion because the freedom of
expressionisgivenintheConstitution.
JusticeVKShukla,theseniorjudge,inoneofthehearingssaidthatmyterminationwenttoshowthat(theyobjected)my
viewsonKashmirandbeefinmyclass.HesaidthatanybodywhodoesnotbelieveintheRSSideologyisnotacceptableto
you.Youhaveterminatedhiscontractbecausehethoughtdifferently.Thatcannotbethebasisforsackinghim.
At one point the court said that a university is a place where everybody is free to express free thought and you cannot
imposeyourthoughtsonanybody.
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'Anybodywhodoesnotagreewiththemisantinational'Rediff.com

Thecourtalsosaidthatchargesofbeingagainstthenationalinterestwerelooselyused.Doyoufeelithasbecomea
normfortheNarendraModigovernmenttotermwhoeverisagainsttheBharatiyaJanataPartyRSSideologyasanti
national?
Itisridiculous.Anybodywhodoesnotagreewiththeirthoughtprocessortheirways(isantinational).Therearesomany
peopleinthecountrywhoaredoingtheirworkhonestly.
LiketheseartisanswhobelongtotheMuslimcommunitywillneversay'BharatMataKiJai'.Evenatheistslikeme,whodo
notbelieveinidolworship,cannotsaythatslogan.
Peoplehavedifferentwaysofworkingforsocietyandthenation.Theyarenotlesscommittedthanthosewhobelievethey
arenationalist.
Youcannotsimplydismissthembecausetheyarenotwillingtoraiseasloganandnotthinklikeyou.
The judgment in my case says that the decision to terminate my contract was not based on rules. It was punitive and
stigmatic.
They have cast aspersions on my character by saying that I was acting against the national interest. They said I was a
Naxalite.Theyalsoaccusedmeofcybercrime.
Ifitwassuchaseriouscrime,thenwhydidtheynotregisteranFIRagainstme?Theyshouldhaveletthepolicetakeaction
againstme.Theydidnotdothat.
Theyjustlevelledaccusationsagainstmewithoutinvestigationorgivingmeachancetoclarifymyposition.
You said that you spoke about the beef ban issue in your class. There is a joke on the Internet that the Modi
governmentbelievesonlyintargetingbeef,students,DalitsandMuslims.Howfaristhattrue?
Yes,thatistrue.FirstitwastheRamtempleissue,thenheraisedtheissueoftheGanga.Nowitisclosetotwoyearssince
ModiisinpowerandIdon'tthinkthesituationoftheGangaisanybetterthanwhenhewaselectedtheprimeministerinMay
2014.
ThesewagefromVaranasicityisstillflowingintotheGanga.Theyhavenotbeenabletocreateenoughcapacityforsewage
treatmentoftheentirecity.Itisafailureoftheirpromises.
ItisthefailureoftheModigovernmenttobringinanyforeigninvestmentsinthenameof'MakeinIndia.'TheyridiculedDr
Manmohan Singh during the elections, but see what he did in terms of passing some landmark laws like the Right to
Education,theRighttoInformation,MNREGA,forestrights,theRighttoFood,theVendorsActandtheDomesticViolence
Act.
ThesearethethingsDrSinghhasleftbehind.Comparedtothat,theModigovernmenthasnoaccomplishmenttoshow.
Therefore,theyareusingthetoolofnationalismtodivertthecountry'sattentionfromveryseriousthingslikefarmerssuicides
andthewatercrisis.
'RSS/BJPcan'ttoleratedissent'
SyedFirdausAshraf

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