Murad Qureshi has been at the heart of the battle to remove Robert Clive’s statue in London. A member of the London Assembly, an elected body that scrutinises the activities of the mayor of London, he is aware that the statue cannot be removed overnight. He has also objected to the plaque outside Clive’s Berkley Square residence in London that calls him a soldier and administrator. Excerpts from an interview:
Q |Why is it important for the Clive statue to go?
A | It is a simple thing. I thank the Black Lives Matter movement for giving us scope to talk about other (aspects) of the British colonial legacy. The importance of RobertClive, otherwise known as Clive of India, is some of the myths around him on the basis of which a statue and a blue plaque have been put up.
There is clear evidence that he looted Bengal, and contributed greatly to the famine in which almost ten million people perished in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Also, he gave the means for the British Raj to enter. Historically, his contemporaries were very critical of him. So, I am not judging him by the standards of today. I am judging him by his times. Contemporaries like Samuel Johnson, people of the Tory Party and the Whigs also condemned him strongly. Lord Curzon puts up the statue. I declare an interest as a Bengali. Sometimes to go forward in life, you need to deal with the past, that is what I am doing here.
Q |Will it be easy to remove the statue?
A | I have been involved with putting up statues. When Ken Livingstone was mayor of London, I assisted in putting up the statue of Nelson Mandela. I assume it is pretty much the same process. We know the English Heritage manage the statue in King Charles street near the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Secondly, the local council is Westminster. We have to persuade English Heritage that in [this] time there is no need for Clive of India.
Most people who go past it, don’t know who the guy is. But for those of us who do, we are offended. For example, Nelson Mandela’s statue was put up in Parliament Square; it was a battle but we got there…. We are laying the groundwork [for the Clive statue removal]. I know it won’t happen overnight. It will take two or three years.... We hope that the Museum of London will take it. They have a new building coming up. I have just written to them asking to make space for all these statues. They should be put up in their context.
Q |Do you hope to take this further to talk about the empire?
A | I think this is an example of British history that most Brits do not know at all. I went through the British education system. We are taught about Henry VIII and six wives in Tudor times and then suddenly we come to defeating the Nazis in World War II. Everything in between, there is nothing there. I think it is time we come to terms with our history. On the back of discourses like this… it is a useful way to learn some history lessons. Britain is fresh of leaving Europe proper in end of January. India becomes a more prominent trading country. We need to get this right.
Q |The London mayor has started a committee to review statues and names of streets for a more diverse view of London.
A | I want to make sure the commission has taken on board the practical things on ground—the planning process, whose ownership it is in. So, they can also put pressure on the museum in London. In Central London, we have the plaque.... I am objecting to that on a factual basis: he wasn’t a soldier; he was a mercenary. There is no way you can call him an administrator.