Neha Bora did not call for Bangladesh-like uprising in India: Alt News
A fact-check by Indian fact-checking website Alt News has found that claims that All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora called for a Bangladesh-like uprising in India misrepresented her remarks, which were made in a video message to a Bangladeshi student organisation.
The controversy erupted on October 15, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged at a press conference that Bora wanted to replicate Bangladesh’s Gen Z uprising in India. The BJP’s official X account subsequently shared a clip of Bhandari’s remarks alongside an excerpt from Bora’s speech.
In the clip, Bora says, “The Gen Z protests that we are witnessing throughout this country first originated in Bangladesh. Congratulations to you for showing us the way and extending solidarity to the young people of this country.”
However, Alt News found that the remarks were taken out of context. Bora was addressing the Socialist Students’ Front (SSF) of Bangladesh on the occasion of its sixth central conference, congratulating the organisation and expressing solidarity with student movements for democratic rights, accessible education and communal harmony.
Right-wing commentators and social media accounts, including Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, MeghUpdates and Jaipur Dialogues, amplified claims that Bora wanted a “Bangladesh-like situation in India”. On Republic, editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami also claimed that she was advocating the implementation of a Bangladesh model in India.
Some posts went further, portraying her remarks as support for a violent and illegal overthrow of the government.
What did Neha Bora actually say?
According to Alt News, Bora sent her video message on October 13 to the SSF, a left-wing student organisation associated with the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist). The message was published on the organisation’s Facebook profile.
In the 1-minute-49-second video, Bora congratulated the SSF on its role in student movements and drew parallels between the challenges faced by students in Bangladesh and India.
She referred to struggles for democratic and voting rights, opposition to religious fundamentalism, threats to public universities, the privatisation of education and restrictions on critical thinking.
Bora said the youth-led protests in Bangladesh had inspired young people in India, adding that students in both countries could work together for “a better South Asia, for a better world”.
Alt News noted that the message was specifically addressed to SSF activists at their central conference, rather than being a call to reproduce the entirety of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising in India.
The uprising in Bangladesh began in July 2024 with student protests against the government’s civil service job quota system before expanding into a nationwide movement demanding the resignation of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina. A government crackdown involving lethal force killed more than 1,400 people, according to the report. Hasina fled the country on August 5, ending her 15-year rule.
Alt News found no statement in Bora’s video calling for similar violence or a coup in India.
Bangladesh socialist leader says remarks were taken out of context
Bazlur Rashid Firoz, secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), told Alt News that Bora had not endorsed the violence associated with the uprising.
“Her words are being taken out of context,” Firoz said.
He explained that Bora was congratulating a fellow left-wing student organisation for its role in struggles for democratic and voting rights, opposition to religious fundamentalism, and better education and employment opportunities.
Alt News also spoke to Sucheta, a former AISA president and a central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), who said the message was intended specifically for SSF activists.
She said Bora was discussing the participation of secular and progressive forces in student movements across the subcontinent.
According to Sucheta, Bora’s reference to religious fundamentalism was part of her discussion of the challenges facing students, rather than an endorsement of violence.
Neha Bora issues clarification
Following the circulation of the video, Bora posted a clarification on Instagram, accusing right-wing accounts of removing the SSF conference logo and other identifying graphics from the original footage to use it for propaganda against her.
She said the visual elements established that the message had been recorded for the SSF’s sixth central conference and was intended to express solidarity with its activists.
Bora said her remarks concerned the organisation’s struggles for democratic rights, student rights, accessible education and communal harmony.
She also clarified that her reference to drawing inspiration from Bangladesh concerned the progressive and secular elements of its student movement, rather than the entire uprising or the political forces that subsequently gained influence.
Alt News concluded that the viral claims omitted the context of Bora’s address and portrayed her remarks as support for violent regime change, a position she did not express in the video.