The author and thinker Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd alleged that “left liberals joining hands with fundamentalist Muslim youth” are curtailing his freedom of expression. He further alleged that “leftists think that the Jews should be thrown out of Israel” an accusation often raised by the Zionist, settler-colonial, apartheid Israel. He raised these allegations in a press statement sent to Countercurrents.org. These accusations were made in the context of two dis-invitations he received recently over an article he wrote in the Telugu daily “Sakshi” on the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel.
Following is the full text of the statement:
ANTI-FREEDOM EXPRESSION OF LEFT-LIBERALISM HAS REACHED A FRENZIED PHASE: I CONDEMN AND GIVE A CALL TO STOP IT.
On 2 October, 2024 I was scheduled to speak in the Malayalam Manorama Arts and Literature Festival at Kozhikode held from 1to 3rd November. The organizers under the directorship of a retired IAS officer, NS Madhavan, disinvited me on the pretext of possible protests against my article in Sakshi, a Telugu newspaper with the title, The only Way out to ISRAEL-PALESTINE IS TWO NATION FORMULA . After my air ticket was booked, they called and informed me that my presence could provoke protests and possible violence. Neither the CPM Government, nor the Malayala Manorama group of Kerala realized that opinions on national and international issues should not be allowed to result in threats and cancellation of invitations to speakers; this has potential to destabilize Indian democracy itself.
The second dis-invitation for a Library opening programme by a Marxist-Leninist group called the Rajanna group to be held on 11 November, 2024 at Vemulawada is more shocking. The group’s popular singer Vimalakka called me on 31 October, and asked me to be the chief guest of a library building opening programme built in memory of Rangavalli, who was brutally killed by the police 25 years ago. At that time, I was a civil rights activist and knew her in her early activism days. Though normally I do not associate with Maoist-Naxalite group meetings, even as a speaker, I accepted this invitation because Rangavalli was a woman leader and opening a library in her memory was a positive development, that too in a rural area.
Quite shockingly, after three days a Whatsapp message comes from Vimalakka that there are serious objections to ‘your Sakshi article on the Israel-Palestine issue; you must re-think’. I replied that I have my position. It was for them to agree or disagree. This invitation too followed a similar dis-invitation.
One is a major newspaper in Kerala and the other is a Marxist-Leninist party. Both disrespected my freedom of expression and self-respect.
Left liberals joining hands with fundamentalist Muslim youth have become the stick on social media to attack my right to freedom of expression. Actually, they are only pushing the Muslims of India into a deeper crisis in the world order led by Trump, Modi and Netanyahu. They also seem to be bent on instigating youth to disrupt the liberal atmosphere in Telangana, available because of Congress rule.
Leftists think that the Jews should be thrown out of Israel; only Palestinians have a right over that land. Leave alone Ambedkar who supported the settlement of Jews in Israel in 1948, they have not read what Lenin and Marx said on the Jewish question.
It is up to them to live in their blissful ignorance, but they have no right to insult me and abuse my right to freedom of expression and self-respect.
I am open for a debate on my stand on this issue in any public forum.
Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd
Hyderabad, 9 November, 2024.
