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Journalism of Courage
BJP MP Varun Gandhi has turned down an invitation from the Oxford Union, UK, to participate in a debate on the Narendra Modi-led government’s performance.
Varun termed the invitation “a mark of a great honour”, and said that “for an ordinary citizen of a great democracy, participation in such events can be a small contribution towards enabling discourse and heightening the level of debate” — but still declined to participate.
Varun said such issues should be raised “within India”, and that he believed the topic was one “with a predefined conclusion”. He also said that there were ample opportunities to speak on the matter within the country.
This comes as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi — Varun’s cousin — continues to face criticism from the BJP over his remarks about Indian democracy while visiting the UK earlier this month.
On Friday (March 17), both Houses of Parliament were adjourned until Monday, as the stalemate over the ruling party’s demand for the Congress MP’s suspension continued.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan have spoken at the forum earlier. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to address the Oxford Union in 2020 but the event was postponed due to unforeseen “circumstances”.
What is the Oxford Union debate?
The invite to Varun was sent by the office of Matthew Dick, president of the Oxford Union, to speak on the motion ‘This House Believes Modi’s India is on the Right Path’.
Such debates are frequently hosted at the society, whose membership is available to students of the university, its staff and alumni.
On its website, the Union describes itself as the “most prestigious debating society in the world”. There are also references made to its tradition of free speech, which is also the theme of its ongoing second centenary celebrations in 2023.
It states that in the early nineteenth century, student members of the University of Oxford were restricted in the matters they could discuss. In opposition to these rules, 25 young men met near the end of 1822 and established a set of rules that would govern a new society and, in March 1823, the ‘United Debating Society’ was born.
Its first-ever debate was held on a question of England’s political history: “Was the revolution under Cromwell to be attributed to the tyrannical conduct of Charles, or to the democratic spirit of the time?”
Even as its membership grew over time, the university disapproved of its existence. A lack of mechanisms for debates also meant interruptions and questionable quality of debate topics. In 1825, the United Debating Society was dissolved, but two days later, the Oxford Union Society was “re-born” — and has been sustained ever since.
In 1963, women were admitted; in 2022 a debate consisting of only women speakers was held.
Why is it considered prestigious?
The Union is one of the earliest examples of debates being allowed on a formal stage at a university. Given the prestige associated with Oxford, the debate began to see the participation of renowned personalities from across political ideologies, and a range of fields – sciences, arts, politics and more.
Notable speakers at the debate over the years include US Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton, civil rights leader Malcolm X, the Nobel Peace Laureates the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa, and scientists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Videos of these debates are watched across the world. Tharoor’s speech in 2015, arguing for the motion on why Britain owes reparations to India, went viral in India at the time.
But the debate has been controversial as well. In 2007, the Holocaust denier David Irving was invited, a decision that led to protests and sit-ins.
What is the format of the debates?
According to the Oxford Union’s website, their debates are held every Thursday evening during term time. Guest speakers will argue in favour of or against a pre-determined motion.
The first speaker opens the debate and introduces the other participants. The first speaker for the opposition will then introduce the first speaker and open the case for the opposition. A debate typically involves three to four speakers on each side, who alternate to present their case.
The debate result is determined by the number of individuals who depart the chamber by walking through the doors marked ‘Ayes’ or ‘Noes’, in a similar manner to how votes are cast in the House of Commons. Members can challenge a speaker at any time during the debate by raising a “point of information”, although it remains at the discretion of the individual speaker whether to accept it.
Members are also encouraged to express their views by giving short “floor speeches” when the debate is open to the audience.
