New Delhi: BJP leader Shazia Ilmi on Wednesday asserted that she was barred from speaking at Jamia University at a seminar organised by RSS-supported Forum for Awareness Security (FANS) on the subject "triple talaq". According to Ilmi, the university "pressurised" the organisers to change the subject to "Muslims Women's Empowerment: Issues and Challenges", and drop her name from the list of speakers.
Alleging that students had also gathered at the programme venue to protest her presence, Ilmi told PTI, "There was a lot of pressure on the organisers. First they changed the topic from triple talaq to women empowerment. Then they wanted me to be dropped from the speakers' list. In the first initiation my name was there but in the second card my name was removed."
"The organisers requested the authorities to allow them to invite me but they said no she will create a lot of problems. I also learnt that students were gathered outside the programme venue to stop me from speaking at the event," she added.
"They felt that if Shazia Ilmi were to come and share the stage, or be present at Jamia - it would lead to some disturbance on campus. On what basis did the say that? I have never caused any issue. I have always spoken out against violence. Because I am in the BJP, there is an open discrimination and because there is double standards and hypocrisy that prevails in the political narrative. There is harassment that is being meted out to BJP leaders but it is never talked about," Shazia told CNN-News18.
However, the University denied all such charges. "The event was not organised by the university or any of its department. The auditorium was rented out to the organisers and in such events, the varsity has nothing to do with either the subject or choice of the speakers. It was not our prerogative," a Jamia spokesperson said, denying allegations of pressurising the organisers.
The organisers, on the other hand, said that they were advised to make "some changes on the subject". Programme convenor Shailesh Vats said,"We were told atmosphere on University campus was not conducive to having such a discussion."
FANS, which has RSS ideologue Indresh Kumar as its patron, confirmed the sequence of events even as Jamia Millia Islamia authorities rubbished the allegations.
Reacting to the issue Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said that it is the selective discrimination of the ultra left liberals which they have to answer to.
"Freedom is granted but there are some limitations like you cannot speak against the nation etc. The Congress & the left are selective as they become silent and violent on selective cases. These are classic examples of how these forces have a selective approach."
The allegations by Ilmi and the RSS forum come at a point when the debate of freedom of expression is at its peak in the country.
DU's Ramjas college had last week witnessed widespread violence over cancellation of an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid terming them "anti-nationals".
(With inputs from PTI)
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