The Opposition parties, including the Congress, JD(U), Left and the BSP, would be aggressive on the issues of caste violence in Haryana, the Rohith Vemula suicide and the questionable tapes in the JNU
The Opposition parties, including the Congress, JD(U), Left and the BSP, would be aggressive on the issues of caste violence in Haryana, the Rohith Vemula suicide and the questionable tapes in the JNU campus shown by some TV channels and used by the Delhi police against student leaders to discredit the Centre and the BJP’s attempts to counter it through aggressive nationalism ahead of the Assembly polls in five states.
Although a section of the ruling NDA has been advising the Congress privately to disassociate itself from the “fringe” elements and not to become a “jhola chhap” party on the issue of JNU, the BJP’s direct attack on Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi inside and outside Parliament is bringing the party closer to regional parties. This could finally lead to a grand coalition against the NDA ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
According to sources, the Congress can be revived by joining of anti-BJP parties and the anti-incumbency factor. While the BJP has been on the defensive on why its Haryana government has not been able to check caste violence in the state despite a majority in the Assembly, the suicide by dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University and attempts to create confusion on whether or not he was a dalit by the BJP and its ministers have sent the wrong message to dalits across the country.
The Congress, BSP, Left and the JD(U) have already put the Centre in the dock and the BJP could face the music in the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Assembly elections. Besides, the Mayawati-led party and the Congress would keep the issue alive to corner the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, going to polls in the next 12 to 13 months.
Attack on student leaders in JNU, especially slapping sedition charges, may not help the BJP beyond a point, said sources.
Meanwhile, the Congress MP Kumari Selja said probe into the gangrape that had taken place during the Jat agitation in Murthal should be monitored by the High Court fearing that the Haryana governent administration and police would not give justice to the victims.
The Congress spokeman Manish Tewari on Saturday said it is “extremely disturbing” that the first attack on mediapersons in the Patiala House court complex took place when Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley was present in its premises.He, however, was not in anyway accusing the minister to be “complicit” in the assault.
“The minister of I&B is the government’s interface with the media and if this happens while he was there in the premises, it’s something which is extremely disturbing”, said Mr Tewari, a former I&B minister.
He said the BJP MLA O P Sharma, who “assaulted” lawyers, journalists, teachers and the students, ostensibly was accompanying Mr Jaitley for his deposition in the court.
At the outset, he said, the Supreme Court has already taken cognisance and has issued contempt notices against those who had perpetrated the violence in Patiala House court premises and since the apex court has taken cognisance, it will take it to its logical conclusion.
