Family members of JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar have said the kind of support the students and global intellectuals have shown for him makes them proud of the Bihar boy.
Addressing JNU students, Mr Kumar’s uncle Rajendra Singh said, “I never knew so many people liked Kanhaiya and he inspired people so much. Though he is in jail today, we are proud of him. For any boy from our village going to JNU is an impossible task and Kanhaiya making it there and garnering support not only from his friends but intellectuals across the globe has made us optimistic.”
Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr Singh said, “Our ancestors were part of the freedom struggle, people from our village had confronted the Britishers and a boy from same village is being called a terrorist for raising his voice. Modiji called himself a ‘chaiwala’ and now he is not saying anything when a farmer’s son is being targeted.”
Mr Kumar’s uncle and brother Manikant, who are in Delhi to meet him in Tihar jail, visited the varsity’s administration block on Monday night where the students are agitating against the student leader’s arrest over an on-campus event against Afzal Guru’s hanging.
They encouraged the students to continue with their struggle, asserting the fight is not just for JNU, but for the entire nation. “This is a struggle for ideology. One Kanha-iya going to jail during th-is fight is no big deal. The way you people have tak-en up the battle demanding freedom of speech and from poverty, is a difficult route,” added Mr Singh.
