Leaders, activists join students’ stir.
Leaders, activists join students’ stir.
In a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government for its “failure” to deliver on poll promises, JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who faces a sedition charge, trained his guns in his first address outside the university campus on Tuesday on human resources development minister Smriti Irani and demanded her resignation for “mismanagement” of academic institutions across the country. Kanhaiya Kumar, who directly went to Parliament Street, where thousands of JNU students had gathered after taking out a “freedom march” from Mandi House, said if Ms Irani could not resign, she should at least apologise to university students. Mr Kumar said he got a showcause notice from the university authorities, but made it clear there was nothing in it about “rustication”. Four persons, believed to be supporters of the right-wing students’ wing, who tried to disrupt Kanhaiya’s speech were immediately detained by the Delhi police.
Both the students and the JNU Teachers Union said that the report of the high-level inquiry committee that has recommended the “rustication” of five students, including Kanhaiya, should be made public. The authorities said a decision on what action should be taken against Kanhaiya Kumar and the other students would depend on their responses to the notices issued to them. In the Delhi high court, meanwhile, the speech by the JNUSU president after his release on bail was the bone of contention in two pleas seeking action against him and demanding the cancellation of the six-month interim relief granted to him. In the city court, the judicial custody of two students, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, facing sedition charges, was extended by 14 days. The two also moved a bail plea, that is likely to come up before the city court on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, thousands of students assembled at Mandi House in support of Kanhaiya and two other students charged with sedition. Shouting slogans and displaying placards, the protesters marched from Mandi House to Parliament Street. Author-activist Arundhati Roy and All India Progressive Women’s Association secretary Kavita Krishnan participated in the protest march. Left leaders D. Raja and Sitaram Yachury were present at the march and expressed solidarity with the agitating students.
The protesters demanded the dropping of sedition charges against all students, release of Umar and Anirban from jail and an impartial inquiry into the entire controversy, as well as restoration of the university’s autonomy and the enactment of a strong law against caste politics in all colleges.
Addressing students outside the Parliament Street police station, Kanhaiya Kumar demanded the resignation of Ms Irani for mismanagement of academic institutions across the country. “She calls us her children, but has she ever spoken to my mother or Rohith Vemula’s mother I refused to be called her child. We demand she resign for the way academic institutions are being attacked. If she cannot resign, she should at least apologise to us.” He got a thunderous response when he said the protest march was not for JNU but to save the country’s Constitution. “I appeal to everyone to join us as we are fighting to save democracy. I am in JNU to get the country rid of casteism. I am also proud of speaking for our armed forces in my speech. But people are politicising it.”
The JNU student leader launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government for its alleged failure to fulfil the promises it made in the election campaign. “Where are the jobs We request Narendra Modi to give admissions to poor students also in private institutions. But I want to tell him the best and knowledgeable brains in the country have come out of government institutions.”
Kanhaiya Kumar did not even spare business tycoon Vijay Mallaya, accusing the Modi government for giving him money in the name of incentives. “But when it comes to JNU students, we are accused to studying on taxpayers’ money,” he said.
On Tuesday, while the high court refused to entertain the petition seeking action against the student leader for allegedly making anti-national remarks n his speech, the other plea seeking cancellation of his bail will be heard on Wednesday. The second plea is listed for hearing before Justice Pratibha Rani, who declined to hear the first petition seeking action against Kanhaiya. The court dismissed the plea by a social activist, and also questioned the locus standi of the petitioner.
