Elgar Parishad Organizing Body Declares Support To Former AMU Student Leader Sharjeel Usmani

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Elgar Parishad Organizing Body Declares Support To Former AMU Student Leader Sharjeel Usmani

By Our Special Correspondent

PUNE–The Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Prerna Abhiyan, an ambedkarite organization of more than 260 Dalit groups has declared its support to former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) student leader Sharjeel Usmani in the context of his alleged remarks against the majority community during his speech at Elgar Parishad in Pune on Jan 30.

The organisers have accused the right wing forces for selectively targeting Usmani through misrepresentation and distortion of his speech and given a detailed statement to the media regarding the entire issue.

Later, two FIRs were lodged against him-one at Swargate Police Station in Pune while another one was registered at Lucknow Police Station in Uttar Pradesh. The 11-page statement issued by the Abhiyan has urged the countrymen to understand the context behind Usmani’s remark that Hindu society was rotten to the core. Former Bombay High Court judge ( retd )B G Kolse Patil had condemned his remarks the next day after a controvery broke over the social media.

Usmani’s speech must be listened carefully

The organization said, “It’s time to come together and think for ourselves to save the society from violent and predatory conspiracies of Brahmanwadi!. We request you to see Sharjeel’s entire speech, before reading this position put forth by the organizers of Elgar Parishad 2021. We urge everyone to listen to his entire speech carefully before making a judgment on merit of ‘truthfulness and factuality’. Sharjeel Usmani is a 23-year-old Muslim student. The “Muslim” part of his identity had to be mentioned because the perverted, vile and violent reaction to Sharjeel’s speech is solely because of his religion. The Brahmhinical element has recently created hoopla around one statement in Sharjeel Usmani’s speech on 30th January 2021 at Ganesh Kala Krida Rang Manch, Pune. We, Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan, the organizing body of Elgar Parishad 2021, are releasing our official position on the said issue through this statement. We as organizers of the Elgar Parishad are firmly standing with Sharjeel Usmani. Elgar Parishad was held in Pune on 30th January 2021 from 11 am to 9 pm. The objective behind organizing Elgar Parishad, as stated multiple times in past, is to save our Constitution, our democracy and our country, as we know it. Anyone and everyone who believes in the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity are fighting to save our constitution, our democracy, our country. This, in itself, is an indication of the grave danger that our constitution, our democracy and our country are in. But since when is this shadow looming over this land? If one looks at it in a historical context, this shadow began forming around 2500 years ago when the Brahmanical system came into existence. While killing Charvak, beheading Shambuk, chopping off Eklavya’s thumb, decapitating the Buddhist Bhikkus in the Sangha created by Tathagat Gautam Buddha, drowning the works of Sant Tukobarai, denying the coronation of Bahujan Pratipalak Shivaji Maharaj, while giving Sambhaji Maharaj the death penalty, while throwing faeces at Jyoti and Sau, while disrespecting Babasaheb Ambedkar by considering the water he drank as impure, when Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj was not allowed to hear recitation of ‘Vedas’ .It is this same Brahminical shadow which loomed over us then, as it looms over us now. To keep this shadow alive and to keep this Brahminical system alive, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and other Brahminical terrorist organisations were given birth. Bharatiya Janata Party is nothing but a branch from this same tree. So, when in 2014, the BJP government backed by RSS came to power, the presence of this shadow grew stronger. From Kharda, Javkheda, Una, Rohith Vemula, Jisha, Delta, Champa, Anitha, Najeeb, Akhlaq, Junaid, Pehlu, Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh; this shadow has played a part in the killings of multiple people ,” they stated.

Sweat of toiling masses not seen in public

The organizers stated that Bhima Koregaon and Hathras being some of the recent incidents, it was this shadow at work during the disastrous implementation of demonetization and GST. During the Covid-19 lockdown and the resulting migrant workers’ crises, majority of India’s toiling masses which until then, hidden away from the mainstream consciousness, were engulfed completely in the pitch darkness of this shadow cast by the Brahminical-corporate structure and social order came out in light while walking bare-footed, without water or assistance back to their homes. Today, when the farmer, who feeds the nation, has taken to streets to save the entire human civilization; the same Brahminical culture is thanking them in spikes, nails, bloodshed and murder. As such, it becomes paramount to be alert and suspicious whenever RSS backed BJP, the guardians of this Brahminical system, claims to represent or speak for a certain population, the organised claimed.

What exactly did Sharjeel say?

While analyzing Sharjeel Usmani’s (entire) speech, the organizers said, “The 23-year- old Sharjeel is an ex-student of Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh and an independent researcher. He has a degree in political science. He is also the National Secretary of ‘Fraternity Movement’. Sharjeel was actively involved in organizing the protests against CAA-NRC-NPR. He was amongst the many Muslim and Dalit students who were arrested by UP’s Yogi Government under the false charges of inciting violence. He was inhumanly tortured in custody by the Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Government which is infamous for its brutal attacks on Muslim and Dalit people. The one tiny bit amongst Sharjeel’s entire speech that they find problematic and have created such a hullabaloo around is – “Hindu society within Hindustan has been rotten”. This bit constitutes not even 10 secs of the 26 minute long speech given by Sharjeel. It is clear that RSS-BJP and other Brahminical organizations have cherry-picked just this tiny bit from Sharjeel’s speech to spread hatred amongst us. If we focus only on certain cherry-picked words without taking into consideration the context and dishonestly ignore the “Truth and Facts” of the matter at hand, then we aren’t worthy of being conscious citizens anymore. If we start cherry-picking such bits and pieces from the speeches, writings and literature produced by our intellectuals, academics, activists, artists and students; with the intention of creating communal and casteist tensions between different groups; then we run the risk of letting our country slip further into chaos and anarchy”, they stated.

Muslims facing chambers of horror

The organizer stated that “the chamber of horror that Muslims have faced in our country because of their religion is devoid of any humanitarian values and morals. In spite of this, Sharjeel’s efforts lay not in spreading hatred and causing destruction but are rather focused on establishing peace and basic human rights. Another issue that is being raised regarding his speech is because he said – he does not trust the Indian Judicial system. What trust remains within people when four senior most supreme court judges have already warned us regarding the threat to our democracy via a press conference and have urged people to save it? The RSS backed BJP must take it upon itself to ponder upon its undemocratic actions which have led us to this sad helpless state of the Indian Judiciary. How are students and common people expected to trust the Indian Judiciary of delivering unbiased rulings when the top most judges of the country have declared publicly of the compromised and weakened position of the Indian Judiciary in face of unprecedented pressure by the Centre. As such Sharjeel hasn’t said anything wrong even in this particular allegation. A lot of this has already been stated quite clearly by Sharjeel in his speech. As such it becomes pertinent to investigate the source of all this fuss and the forces at play in spreading hatred and lies. Brahminism is that operating paradigm in this country. Government, governance, judiciary, journalism are all infected with this malignancy. The state apparatus of Brahminism is to alienate communities, manufacture antagonistic violence from it and to use that as fodder for governance. It is not capable of understanding the whole truth and as such it has only taken a part of Sharjeel’s speech to make him look hostile and spread hatred in our society. This is nothing but a media trial. These media trials have become a regular feature since the BJP took power in 2014. Initiatives like Elgar Parishad which struggle for the liberation from caste-class-patriarchy threaten the Brahminical order. This maligning of Sharjeel and Elgar is the Brahminical state apparatus at work fighting against people’s struggles for liberty, equality and fraternity. Devendra Fadanvis, RSS backed BJP functionaries and their allied Brahminical t organisations have many reasons for taking up (or rather crashing into this issue”, the organisers pointed out in their written public statment issued to the national and state media.

Farmers protest garner global support

“The farmers’ protests have received nationwide and even global support. The recent calls of solidarity from American pop singer Rihanna, 17-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg, US Congressman Jim Costa, British parliamentarian Claudia Webbe, Mina Harris have all tweeted in support of the protesting farmers. The Union government formed by the BJP is being criticised on a global level. To counter this the BJP government has propped up celebrities, entertainers, sportspersons who are guardians of the brahmanical culture to spread government sanctioned Brahminical fascist propaganda. Violent attempts to crush farmers’ protests, including war-time military level fortification of New Delhi, are a testament to the fear induced by our farmers in the hearts of the RSS-BJP camp. Union Budget for 2021-22 is another document through which RSS-BJP have demonstrated their anti-people agenda. The intention to proceed with divestment of multiple state-owned corporations is a good indicator of their anti-national policies. Nirmala Sitharaman has declared that Health and well being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and R and D, minimum government and maximum governance are the six pillars upon which the budget stands. In the foundation of all these pillars exploitative capitalism, privatisation, and imperialism is clearly visible. This document has been roundly criticized throughout the country”, abhiyan organizers stated.

Intellectuals who raise voice for citizens are branded traitors and locked up in prisons

The organizers pointed out that “all the people, intellectuals, students, thinkers, activists who work in emancipatory national struggles are declared traitors and locked up under various pretenses. This was the modus operandi in the case of Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad, the NRC-CAA protests, and now for the farmers protest. Munawar Faruki, Mandeep Puniya, Navdeep Kaur, are the most recent political prisoners. Political prisoners taken before are eminent thinkers, activists, students, lawyers, writers, and artists. They have been abused inside and outside of prison and this fact has become a national discussion. Apart from Indian nationals, the BJP government has turned its eye towards the world searching for prisoners. Seventeen year old Greta Thunberg has been listed in a First Information Report by the Delhi Police. The RSS-BJP is making a display of its Brahminism informed intolerance, authoritarianism, and caste supremacy on a global stage. The protectors of Brahmanist Bharatiya Janata Party, are requesting the UP government to arrest Sharjeel Usmani. The world has seen communal and casteist hatred created by BJP government’s Chief Minister and Home Minister Ajay Bisht. It was very much evident in recent Hathras case. But Fadnavais and BJP Maharashtra don’t bother about it at all. Because he had played a similar role in Bhima-Koregaon attacks being the Chief Minister and Home Minister of Maharashtra. Devendra Fadanvis very efficiently protected Brahminical functionaries Sambhaji Bhide and Milind Ekbote who generally creates castiest and communal tension”.

Elgar Parishad 2017 paves way for emancipation of the oppressed

“The Elgar Parishad on 31 December 2017 scared the neo-peshwai imposing Brahminvadis. The Abrahmani mode of emancipatory struggle articulated by Elgar Parishad created a major impact on the psyche of these neo-peshwaites. Paranoid and unsettled, they want to destroy all mentions and symbols of our Abrahmani struggle so that their Brahmni hegemony over the society can be maintained. The speakers and performers at this year’s Elgar Parishad recommended practical efforts towards the dismantling of Brahmanism-Capitalism-Patriarchy. The establishment is making shallow and childish attempts to stop these ideas from reaching the people and arrest the spread of our struggle towards Annihilation of Caste-Class-patriarchy. These are the reasons why Elgar Parishad and Sharjeel Usmani are being targeted. Just one sentence from his speech has laid bare the ideological impotency and moral degeneracy of these detractors. As such, we, the organizers of Elgar Parishad, via the Bhima Koregaon Shauryadin Abhiyan platform, wish to present our side of the story to you all. We condemn those Brahminvadi’s who have targeted, abused, made threats to life, and burnt effigies of Sharjeel Usmani by crudely reducing him just to his Muslim identity. We are firmly standing with Sharjeel Usamani. Here we are declaring that we will intensify our efforts to struggle for annihilation of caste-class-patriarchy and Islamophobia”, the organizers said.

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