CM Devendra Fadnavis pokes fun at Kanhaiya Kumar, Jitendra Awhad

Taking a dig at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Awhad, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday mockingly referred to the former as a ‘hero’ and latter as a ‘side hero.’

In an embarrassing situation, Mr Awhad was not allowed to share the stage with Mr Kumar and other student leaders in a rally held in Pune on Sunday. Later, Mr Kumar clarified that he had respect for senior leaders but only students would lead the protest and no political leaders would share the stage with them.

Mr Kumar also stated that only student leaders would decide the line of the agitation and not any senior leader.

Mr Awhad had attempted a similar manoeuvre in Mr Kumar’s Mumbai rally on Saturday but was not given any opportunity to hijack it.

Later that day, while speaking with mediapersons in New Delhi at Maharashtra Sadan, Mr Fadnavis attempted to ridicule the duo. “As Kanhaiya is the hero of the nation, there were some side heroes like Jitendra (Awhad) and others gathered at airport who claimed he was attacked,” Mr Fadnavis said in a tongue-in-cheek comment.

Also, the chief minister claimed that there was no attack on the 28-year-old activist. It was just a quarrel over changing seats on the flight, he said.

Mr Fadnavis said Mr Kumar was travelling from Mumbai to Kolkata via Pune on flight number QW-618.

“He was seated by the window. A passenger, Manasjyoti Nagendra Deka (33), tried to go to the window seat, his put his leg over Kanhaiya’s. “A war of words ensued between Mr Deka and Kanhaiya over it. Later Kanhaiya’s friends gathered there, but nobody had attacked him.”