Student leader and activist Kanhaiya Kumar on Friday called for a “larger ideological unity” in fight against fascism so that the ideas journalist Gauri Lankesh stood for can be kept alive.
“Gauri always took a position and stood by it on any issue. But she would engage with everybody, Communist, Maoist, Congress, Ambedkarite and take them along in her journey to accomplish what she stood for. To keep her ideas alive, we need to do the same,” said Mr. Kumar, speaking at the launch of ‘ The Way I See It – A Gauri Lankesh Reader’ published by Navayana.
Freedom to ask
He was joined by student activist Umar Kalid, lawyer Karuna Nundy, teacher from Jamia Millia Islamia Manisha Sethi and comedian Sanjay Rajoura to discuss the work and ideas of Ms. Lankesh, who was shot dead outside her house in Bengaluru in September.
Mr. Kumar said that journalists who write in regional languages are the first to be targeted when they criticise those in power.
He called for more programmes in rural areas because in Delhi, one can have open discussions on democracy and not get attacked, but in villages, it is not the case and people are not encouraged to ask questions. He added that the campaign slogan “ har har Modi, ghar ghar Modi” has rung true as “divisions” has reached conversations at dining tables in every other home.
Mr. Khalid said that the justice system has not been able to punish those responsible for Ms. Lankesh’s death, but it would be a greater tragedy if people did not get to know what Ms. Lankesh had to say, and what were her ideas that got her killed. “We all have a responsibility to keep alive what she stood for as her death was an act of terror. We must continue to have to courage to keep writing and asking tough questions so that those who killed her fail in their task.”
‘Deep sense of pain’
The other panellists spoke on how Ms. Lankesh's writing showed empathy and a deep sense of pain that people she was writing about were feeling. Ms. Nundy said that Ms. Lankesh had the ability to cut through the fog of misinformation and present facts in the world of WhatsApp forwards.
