AAP leaders at memorial meeting of prominent Marxist intellectual raises questions

By Shamsul Islam 

"What is now happening to Marx's theory has, in the course of history, happened repeatedly to the theories of revolutionary thinkers and leaders of oppressed classes fighting for emancipation. During the lifetime of great revolutionaries, the oppressing classes constantly hounded them, received their theories with the most savage malice, the most furious hatred and the most unscrupulous campaigns of lies and slander. After their death, attempts are made to convert them into harmless icons, to canonize them, so to say, and to hallow their names to a certain extent for the "consolation" of the oppressed classes and with the object of duping the latter, while at the same time robbing the revolutionary theory of its substance, blunting its revolutionary edge and vulgarizing it." [Lenin in State and Revolution, 1917]

Lenin's above comment was not only about the past but the future also. For the latest proof, one needed to be at the Chinmay Mission auditorium, Delhi, to witness it happening on April 25, 2026. It was the venue of a Remembrance Meeting organized by the family for Professor Vijay Singh, "a distinguished academic, Marxist theorist, and an outstanding scholar of Soviet and Russian history," who passed away on April 17 after teaching history for more than three decades at Satyawati College of the University of Delhi, at the age of 80. He also edited a reputed Marxist theoretical journal, Revolutionary Democracy, a peerless journal on developments of Marxian theory and practice. He also acted as a bridge between Indian Communists and Communist parties of Asia — especially those of Pakistan — as well as parties in Africa, Europe, and Latin America. According to a press report, a close associate of his, Gautam Mody, remembering him stated: "Vijay was a proud communist for whom, in the first instance, communism derived from the simplest forms of humanism — of love, concern, and empathy for each other. For Vijay, the solidarity between people was not an abstraction. It derived from basic human relations… Vijay's understanding as a political thinker and activist was rooted in the unshakable conviction that robust theory alongside a reading of history are necessary for analyzing a contemporary situation correctly. It is only through this that a political program for societal change can evolve that is not opportunistic. Opportunism, for Vijay, was what stalled the advance of progressive ideas and change." 

It was a truthful remembrance.

Renowned musician Vidya Shah presented a few of Vijay's favourite songs and compositions. Among the numbers she sang was Faiz Ahmad Faiz's stirring revolutionary nazm Hum Dekhenge, the Bhakti hymn Man Lago Mera Yaar Fakiri Mein, attributed to Sant Ravidas, and Gopal Das Neeraj's progressive poem Ab Toh Mazhab Koi Aisa Bhi Chalaaya Jaye, Jismein Insaan Ko Insaan Banaaya Jaye.

Ironically, at the event, seated prominently were Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Imran Hussain, and Sanjay Singh, along with others such as Ram Niwas Goel, Jarnail Singh, and Dilip Pandey. Afterall, the gathering was held in memory of Prof. Vijay Singh, father of former AAP Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Marlena.

It was a brazen denigration of the revolutionary ideology to which Vijay Singh was committed until the last days of his life. Had he been alive and present, he would have died of shock all over again. He fearlessly stood for the rights of the working class — both white-collar and blue-collar — as well as minorities, women, and the marginalized. He stood against the Brahmanization of universities, administration, and the judiciary. He was firmly against the removal of Article 370 and the repression of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, Muslim youth, and student activists. He was a trade unionist. 

What is AAP's record as a political party with respect to the above-mentioned commitments of Vijay Singh? AAP complemented all the repressive agendas of the RSS-BJP rulers: the removal of Article 370, anti-working-class policies, and the granting of permission for the incarceration of Muslim and young political activists. Kejriwal and his party joined the RSS-BJP in the witch-hunting of Muslims during the 2020 Delhi violence. AAP wanted photos of Lakshmi and Ganesh on Indian currency, replacing Gandhi.

It was a brazen denigration of Vijay Singh and his ideology that Kejriwal, the perpetrator, sat in the front row.

Vijay Singh taught at Delhi University for 35 years, and the last years of his teaching career were spent fighting the RSS takeover of the University. Atishi, his daughter, oversaw Delhi University colleges — 28 fully or semi-funded by the Delhi Government — for many years and later became Chief Minister of Delhi. Did she resist this takeover? Absolutely not. In fact, during her tenure, these colleges, including her father's own college, were turned into RSS-controlled institutions.

Fellow progressives and associates of Vijay Singh must come forward to save his legacy from this AAPization!

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Link for some of Prof Islam's writings and video interviews/debates: http://du-in.academia.edu/ShamsulIslam, and books: https://tinyurl.com/shams-books. Facebook: https://facebook.com/shamsul.islam.332. Twitter: @shamsforjustice. Blog: http://shamsforpeace.blogspot.com/