Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has condemned the attacks against students and teachers at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), noting that they lend weight to claims that the Indian government is suppressing its citizens.
“While the identities of the attackers remain unclear, what is clear is that many of the attacked were activists, and neither the government-appointed administration nor the police intervened,” he wrote on Thursday, in a post published on Linkedin.com. “When even elite universities become literal battlegrounds, accusations that the government is attempting to suppress dissent—even if by apathy rather than design-gain substantial credibility.”
Dr. Rajan, who currently teaches at the University of Chicago, also blamed those who voted for the government whether for economic reasons, or out of indifference, prejudice or fear. “...we, the public, also bear a responsibility. After all, it was the citizenry that put our leaders into office and acquiesced in their divisive manifesto, which they have taken as their marching orders,” he wrote.
On the other hand, Dr. Rajan expressed support and admiration for the young people of different faiths marching on the streets, a seeming reference to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. He also singled out for praise those who have stood up for their convictions in the face of great risk: IAS officers who resigned because they could not serve in good faith, a Bollywood actress who stood with JNU victims (a reference to Deepika Padukone), an Election Commissioner who acts with integrity despite the harassment of his family (a reference to former Commissioner Ashok Lavasa), and journalists who stand against government pressure to bring out the truth.
“These people show through their actions that they think truth, freedom, and justice are not merely lofty words, but ideals worth sacrificing for,” he wrote, calling on all citizens to rededicate themselves to the spirit of the Indian Constitution.
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