“2014 to 2019 was the time to fulfil necessities; while 2019 onwards, is the opportunity to fulfil aspirations. 2014 to 2019 was the time to take basic necessities to every household, while 2019 onwards is the time to take flight for fast growth. The period from 2014 to 2019 and the journey ahead is a tale of changing dreams; it is a tale that goes from state of despair to peak of hope; it is a tale that goes from resolve to results. We have read so many times that the 21st century will be that of India. In the last five years, we have put in hard work to strengthen the foundations of the country. On this foundation, a new and glorious India will rise.”
– Prime Minister Narendra Modi (March 3 2019, New Delhi)
Stumbling across a page Academics 4 NaMo led me to this statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On further scrolling, I thought this was yet again BJP’s marketing team at work. The site is well constructed, praising Narendra Modi subtly, enlisting his actions and contributions after 2014 elections, requesting to bring him back in 2019. The site, cleverly named Academics 4 NaMo has started a campaign to bring back Modi in 2019 and make a “strong, empowered and prosperous India.”
This is an initiative by 300 academics from 30 universities across 15 Indian cities, including the likes of JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and IIT (Indian Institute of Technology).
Not a satire or a joke in any sense, and as utopic or dystopic this may seem, it is true.
Over 300 academics from all over the country and reputed institutes like JNU, IIT, BHU, etc. have come together under the name Academics 4 NaMo to ease the tension between left ideology educated groups and the BJP government to bring back Narendra Modi in 2019. They are working towards dispelling the negative notions around the NaMo government and are holding meetings, discussions and debates for the same. They wish to gain support from fellow academics in their campaign.
The group cites several reasons for supporting the BJP government which are as follows:
1. An Ordinance Passed Against The 13 Point Roster System
The government has decided to pass an ordinance against the Supreme Court’s decision of applying the 13-point roster system. The ordinance will ensure that during the calculation of allocation of positions to various categories, the university or college will be taken as a unit and not the departments.
The ordinance will reserve the rights of members belonging to the SC, ST and OBC community to get their due in the recruitment of faculty positions in educational institutions. According to the Academics 4 NaMo, this is a truce and a supporting action from the government’s side for the academics.
2. Work For Women And The Poor
The academics suggest that the BJP government has paid special attention for the benefit and well-being of women and the poor. Launching schemes like Ujjwala Yojana 2019, paid maternity leave for six months and commissioning of women in the armed forces have left a positive impact on the left liberals who consider these as actions that empower women.
Professor Sudhir Pratap of JNU’s School of Languages, as reported by The Print, said that “Modi has empowered each and every section of society and also secured our border. He has ensured empowerment, education, employment and entrepreneurship through reservation, representation and recognition.”
3. No Stronger Candidate At Present Other Than Him
The team says that India as a country needs Narendra Modi to revive its tradition, culture and history. They stress on the lack of other stronger candidates for the country. They also believe that Modi is important for the integration of the country.
The team is working towards creating awareness about the contribution of the BJP government and is bridging the gap between two ideologies – left and right. While some of these intellectuals believe that the left has dominated the education sector for long and it is now time to bring a balanced point of view, others believe that there is a class of intellectuals that stand against Modi which needs to be countered. Their outreach, thus, will be aimed at “academicians, intellectuals, scholars, journalists, panellists, columnists and thinkers.”
As per a report by DNA, Academics 4 NaMo held a national workshop on March 14 in Delhi in which 300 select delegates from across the country were expected to participate. The workshop assigned tasks to the members, who hit the ground from March 20.
Academics 4 NaMo has mentioned the objective of them making a Facebook page for supporting their cause. “The outcome of this election could spell the difference between a surging, ambitious new India or the India of the past steeped in corruption and hopelessness, We are reaching out [to] various communities — the thought leaders and torchbearers of our country — to lend a helping hand in this battle,” it says.
But, there is also another side who are petitioning against the second term of Narendra Modi.
JNU professor, G Arunima started a petition asking for 3,000 signatures opposing Modi’s second term. Her petition reads, “In the past five years of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in India has marked one of the most dangerous periods in Indian history. We have witnessed a vicious campaign that has undertaken myriad forms of saffronisation, and has affected every aspect of Indian life, ranging from political freedom and liberty, the economy, education, culture, health, environment, and just the safety of large majorities of Indians.”
The petition also talks about the rise of Hindutva, religious divides, and neglect towards the Dalit and Muslim community.
This divide in the ideologies of intellectuals and academics is not something new. It is a by-product of the election season and provides both sides of the story in their own language. However, what is worth noting is that by definition, ideologies and divides should be self-created and not funded.