- By Kamal Kumar
- Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:53 PM (IST)
- Source:ANI
Shehla Rashid, former JNU student and once a vocal critic of the Modi government has praised the positive efforts of the central government in Kashmir and said that 'PM Modi is a selfless man who is working in the national interest'. Shehla was speaking in an interview with ANI.
Her surprising response on Kashmir came following a question by the host on her changed stance on the central government's role in the valley. Applauding the role of the central government's anti-terrorism and development efforts in Kashmir, she said that she could present facts as evidence to back her statement.
"There are people who will say why are you saying this? My answer is because it's true. I am not saying that there are no problems in the country. If certain things happen, I have always been a critic of the Centre's Kashmir policy so now the Kashmir policy is good so I would invite people to debate me on facts," Shehla said.
"There has been court-martial of some army personnel who were involved in the fake encounter is it not what we were asking all along? There will be people who will say why you are saying this? They have not visited Kashmir recently. They have not seen the kind of change, the visible change. That's why I decided to speak out," she added.
While lashing out on the 'left-liberal ecosystem', she said that some people criticise the government for the sake of it.
"There are congressional committee reports in the US that will still say restore internet in Kashmir whereas the internet is in full bloom, 5G is working. But a lot of these narratives whether they are motivated they know. It is a feature of our times. It is polarisation. People do not want to acknowledge their opponents for doing good work and that is not good for democracy," she said.
While being asked a question on a post she had put on X in August 2019 accusing the Indian army of abusing human rights in Kashmir, Shehla said that she regrets her post now and it wasn't correct.
"I don't think it was my place to put out that information. I regret putting out that information as I did not verify it myself. Someone had given me that information not just to publish it on platforms. I decided to publish. It was an ill-considered decision."
"I think my information was used by anti-India forces here and abroad. These things become a truism of sorts, army rapes in Kashmir. It is a truism everybody keeps repeating, I did not check it myself and I regret putting out these tweets," she said.
Shehla Rashid, an activist, researcher, and academician, rose to fame in 2016 when she advocated for the release of Kanhaiya Kumar, the then-JNU President, who was arrested on charges of sedition. More recently, she has drawn attention to a significant change in stance, commending the central government for what she perceives as an 'improved' situation in Jammu and Kashmir.