"State That Has No Shame": Indian Student Roasts Pakistan At Oxford Debate

Viraansh Bhanushali, a Mumbai-born law student at Oxford University, has recently gone viral for his hard-hitting address at a high-profile debate on India-Pakistan relations at Britain's prestigious Oxford Union. The motion of the debate was: "India's Policy Towards Pakistan Is A Populist Disguise For Security Policy." Arguing against the motion, Bhanushali firmly argued that New Delhi's approach towards Islamabad is rooted in genuine national security concerns rather than political populism.

The Indian student directly countered arguments put forward by Pakistani Oxford Union president Moosa Harraj, who claimed that India's Pakistan policies were driven by electoral optics. In response, Bhanushali listed India's reaction after several terror attacks on India -- from diplomatic restraint after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks to calibrated military action following the Pahalgam terror attack.

He noted that these attacks did not coincide with election cycles, undermining the populism argument. referenced other major attacks, including Pathankot, Uri, and Pulwama, asserting that a country that harbours terror networks cannot claim moral superiority. 

"We have learnt it the hard way, you cannot shame a state that has no shame," said Bhanushali, as he referenced other major attacks, including Pathankot, Uri, and Pulwama. He stated that a country that harbours terror networks cannot claim moral superiority.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Viraansh Bhanushali (@viraansh_)

Bhanushali also shared a light moment with Harraj, sharing that as his chief of staff, he helped him write his speech. "I shall gladly admit that sometimes it takes an Indian to clean up the incompetence of a Pakistani," he said. 

The debate happened on November 27, a day after the Mumbai terror attack anniversary. 

Personal Account 

Bhanushali opened his speech with a personal account of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. He recalled that one of the targets of terrorists was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), where his aunt passed through almost every evening.

"By chance or by providence, she took a different train home that night, narrowly escaping the fate of the 166 souls that did not. Another target was the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, where my best friend's father, a major in the National Security Guard, was one of the first commandos to rappel into a burning inferno," he said.

He recalled that he was a schoolboy then, "glued to the television as my city burnt. I remember the fear in my mother's voice on the phone, the tension in my father's clenched jaw. For three nights, Mumbai did not sleep, and neither did I."

Bhanushali further noted that a suburban railway station, just 200 metres from his house, was bombed in the 1993 serial blasts that killed over 250 people. 

"I grew up under the shadows of these tragedies... So when someone claims that India's tough stance towards Pakistan is merely populism masquerading as security policy, you might understand why I bristle," he said.

Comparison With Pakistan

The Indian student also contrasted India's actions with those of Pakistan. "But if you want to see real populism dressed up as security, look across the Radcliffe Line. When India fights a war, we debrief the pilots. In Pakistan, they autotune the chorus. You cannot give your people bread, so you give them the circus. That is the alchemy of turning public poverty into private power with the spectre of war," he said.

Bhanushali asserted that Delhi does not want war. "We want to be boring neighbours. We want to trade onions and electricity... But until the state that defends itself stops using terror as an instrument of foreign policy, we will keep our powder dry. If that is populism, then I am a populist," he said. 

About Viraansh Bhanushali

Bhanushali is currently pursuing a BA in Jurisprudence (LLB), English Law with Law Studies in Europe at St Peter's College, University of Oxford. He is also an alumnus of NES International School, Mumbai. He serves as Chief of Staff to the Oxford Union President and has held roles like International Officer and Deputy Returning Officer at the Union, while interning at India's Solicitor General's Office.

Videos of his remarks at the debate have garnered millions of views on social media, drawing reactions from audiences in India and abroad.