For the first time, JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, now out on bail in a sedition case, met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Hyderabad Central Unive
For the first time, JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, now out on bail in a sedition case, met Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, ahead of his visit to Hyderabad Central University on Wednesday. Kanhaiya, who was accompanied by a team of JNU students and members of the All-India Students Federation, met Mr Gandhi at his Tughlaq Lane residence.
The JNUSU president, who will meet dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s friends at Hyderabad Central University on Wednesday, did not interact with the media after meeting Mr Gandhi. NSUI chief Roji M. John said it was a courtesy call to thank Mr Gandhi for supporting him in the ongoing JNU row.
Mr Gandhi tweeted that he “met a delegation of student leaders from AISF and JNUSU president”. Mr Gandhi had visited the JNU campus on February 13, a day after Kanhaiya Kumar was ar-rested in a sedition case.
Kanhaiya Kumar, Rahul Gandhi meet ‘courtesy call’ NSUI chief Roji M. John said a JNU delegation headed by Kanhaiya Kumar met Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi for a courtesy call. He told reporters: “They thanked him for his continuous support ever since the issue started. Gandhi not only supported the students at JNU but also FTII and IIT Madras, where students have been protesting against the way the government is attacking institutions. We will continue this fight to protect the autonomy of institutions.”
Visiting the JNU campus on February 13, a day after Kanhaiya was arrested in a sedition case over an event at the campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru when some “anti-national” slogans were allegedly raised. In a hard-hitting attack on the Narendra Modi government over the JNU student’s arrest, Mr Gandhi had virtually drawn a parallel between it and Nazi Germany, accusing the NDA of “suppressing” the voice of students and telling them “don’t let those bullies push you around”. Both Mr Gandhi and Kanhaiya have been relentless in attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party over the alleged witchhunt of political dissenters.
The BJP was quick to criticise the meeting between Mr Gandhi and the JNUSU president, with former minister Shahnawaz Hussain saying the country was watching how Mr Gandhi and the Congress were courting people like Kanhaiya, who allegedly allowed people to raise “anti-India” slogans at JNU.
Kanhaiya Kumar had been scheduled to meet Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal last week, but the meeting had to be called off as got stuck in a massive traffic jam. The Delhi CM had also raised his voice in support of the JNUSU president.
