Who is Viraansh Bhanushali going viral for taking on Pakistan at Oxford Union debate?

An Indian-born student at the University of Oxford has created buzz on social media with his fiery speech during a recent Oxford Union debate. Viraansh Bhanushali’s video, where he is seen taking on Pakistan over terror attacks on Indian soil, has gone viral.

The young man was debating on the motion, This House Believes That India’s Policy Towards Pakistan Is a Populist Disguise for Security Policy. He spoke against the motion, while Moosa Harraj led the Pakistan side, speaking for the motion.

But who is Viraansh Bhanushali? And what did he say? We take a look.

Who is Viraansh Bhanushali?

Viraansh Bhanushali is a law student at the University of Oxford in England. He is pursuing BA Jurisprudence (LLB), English Law with Law Studies in Europe at St Peter’s College, Oxford.

Born in Mumbai, Bhanushali reportedly studied at NES International School, Mumbai. He later moved to the UK for higher education.

Bhanushali has done several law internships, including at the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service and for the Additional Solicitor General of India, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He is currently serving as the chief of staff of the Oxford Union, a student-run debating society at the University of Oxford. The law student earlier served as International Officer and on the Secretary’s Committee at the Oxford Union.

He co-founded The Oxford Majlis, a student initiative focused on cultural and intellectual discussions, in October 2023.

“My passion lies in using my legal expertise, leadership experience, and mentoring skills to make a positive impact in both the legal field and wider society,” Bhanushali wrote on his LinkedIn.

Why Viraansh Bhanushali has gone viral

Viraansh Bhanushali has grabbed attention online with his now-viral speech during an Oxford Union debate on November 27.

Speaking on the topic, he argued that India’s approach towards Pakistan stems from genuine security concerns rather than electoral populism.

Bhanushali took on his Pakistan-born peer, Moosa Harraj, who argued that India’s policy towards Pakistan is driven by populism.

Moosa is the son of former Pakistan federal minister Muhammad Raza Hayat Harraj. Moosa was elected Oxford Union president for Michaelmas Term 2025 in March.

During the debate, Bhanushali recalled personal experiences to draw light to Pakistan’s role in carrying out terror attacks in India. He spoke just a day after November 26, the day India mourns the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

He recounted how his aunt narrowly escaped the terror attack at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai at the time.

“One of those targets was Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), the very station that my 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…”

“I 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 said.

He said he shared the story to ground the debate in lived reality. He further pointed out that a railway station near his home was also targeted during the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

“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.

“To win this debate, I do not need to use rhetoric. I simply need to use a calendar,” Bhanushali added, emphasising the terror attacks that occurred years away from elections.

Referring to the 1993 blasts, he said: “257 people died… Was there an election in March 1993? No. That election was three years away… Terror did not come because we needed a vote. It came because Dawood and the ISI wanted to fracture India’s financial spine. That was not populism. That was an act of war.”

Citing India’s responses to terror attacks, he underlined that New Delhi showed restraint and engaged in diplomacy after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which disproves claims of election-driven security policy.

“What would a populist government do after 26/11? The public rage was nuclear. A populist leader would have just launched the jets to win the next election,” he said. Bhanushali argued that even restraint did not stop attacks on India, giving examples of Pathankot, Uri and Pulwama.

Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said terrorists “didn’t ask who they voted for. They executed them”.

Speaking about Operation Sindoor, Bhanushali said: “We punished the perpetrators. And then what? We stopped. We did not invade. We did not occupy. That is not populism. That is professionalism.”

In one of the most viral moments of his speech, taking a dig at Pakistan, he said that a country accused of sheltering terrorist groups cannot claim moral authority. Talking about the attacks in Pathankot, Uri, and Pulwama, he remarked, “You cannot shame a state that has no shame.”

He concluded his speech with a sharp criticism of Pakistan’s leadership. “You cannot give your people bread, so you give them the circus,” he said.

“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.”

Bhanushali’s comments have gone viral online, with proponents praising his assertive stance while critics are questioning his tone.

The video of the debate, which was uploaded on YouTube last week, has garnered 150,000 views.