'Muslims Should Feel Lucky They Are In This Country': Ex-JNU Student Shehla Rashid, As She Slams 'Left-Liberal Ecosystem'

Former student leader and activist Shehla Rashid, once a staunch critic of the BJP-led central government, revealed a shift in her perspective, acknowledging the tendency within the "left and liberal ecosystem" to criticise the government for the sake of opposition.

In an interview on ANI with Smitha Prakash, Rashid discussed her experience of being in an "echo chamber" and highlighted the need to avoid opposition merely based on political affiliations.

She also discussed her support for the government's decision to impose lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, emphasising that the criticism at times seemed to be for the sake of opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rashid further addressed the historical context of communalism in India and called for a balanced perspective that acknowledges both positives and negatives.

Rashid stated, "Is there communalism in this country, yes. 70 years back we were partitioned on a religious basis. So we cannot say that communalism began when the BJP came in 2014. We have been partitioned on religious lines and it was a bloody partition by all accounts."

She added, "There has been communalism and there will continue to be communalism. At the same time, the problem with the critical orientation is that we only focus on the negatives. We forget to celebrate the positives."

Rashid also said there have been incidents of mob lynching and unfortunate statements made against Muslims in the past, but also added that Muslims should feel lucky that they are in this country and not anywhere else in the world.

She further said, "Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Srinagar, told Kashmiris that it is their country and they can live and go wherever they want. These were his exact words. And we should take a moment and acknowledge that we are living through a historically very important phase."