Stop burdening gen next with talk of war and differences: Harsha Bhogle on CAA

In the wake of ongoing unrest in the country, cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle on Tuesday (December 24) addressed the government urging them to not ‘burden the next generation with talk of war and cultural differences’ through his Facebook post.

In support of the country’s youth he wrote, “India under 30 now is brimming with possibility. Their minds have been opened, they are proud Indians but they are citizens of the world. And India under 40 is showing that it has the ability to take on the world by getting into leadership positions. This India is more confident, better informed, more aware and far more ambitious than we could ever have been. It is a beautiful India and it has been nurtured by people who are liberal and secular at heart. Those are beautiful words.”

Recounting how India became a liberalised country during his younger days he said, “Maybe Narasimha Rao was forced into opening up India by the calamity that would have befallen us otherwise. Maybe Manmohan Singh had no choice but to deliver the budgets he did. But they saw the writing on the wall and they acted.”

Saying that the government is shrinking India by highlighting the differences he suggested that instead, they should work to put an end on fear-mongering. “This is a great time to be a benevolent government; to think of education, of infrastructure, of technology; to remove barriers, to embrace openness, to free this beautiful generation to take India beyond where we think it can be,” he added.

Applauding Bhogle for his Facebook post, MP Shahi Tharoor said, “Applause for Harsha Bhogle on his sincere & thoughtful appeal to our rulers not to destroy the optimism of India’s quarter-century after 1991 by stoking fear, hatred & division instead of growth, freedom & prosperity:

Applause for @bhogleharsha on his sincere & thoughtful appeal to our rulers not to destroy the optimism of India’s quarter-century after 1991 by stoking fear, hatred & division instead of growth, freedom & prosperity: https://t.co/5Kd2TVqJ5Y

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) December 25, 2019

Earlier, Irfan Pathan too expressed his opinions and extended support to Jamia Millia Islamia students.

Political blame game will go on forever but I and our country?? is concerned about the students of #JamiaMilia #JamiaProtest

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 15, 2019

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) had triggered protests across the country last week and the youth and the students have been at the forefront. Violent clashes took part in several areas over the contentious, including two prominent universities, Jamia Milia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University.