My Opinion

It is amply clear that come what may, the Congress is determined to stall the Parliament proceedings this Budget session. Whatever may be the outcome of the All Party Meet and however hard the Government may try, the Congress will not be prepared to give any safe passage to it. There can be no doubt on this if one were to carefully listen to what the Congress President Sonia Gandhi had to say today at the Congress Working Committee meet.

In a democracy while every citizen has a right to protest and has a right to one’s own opinion, it does not mean that the right to protest should be at the cost of others. It does not entail the right to plunder, the right to arson or the right to block rail and road. The kind of agitation that is being witnessed in Haryana today is similar to what has already taken place in Rajasthan, in Andhra Pradesh, in Telangana or even Maharashtra over the Maratha reservation issue. Every State government has had to accept their demands and pass the quota bill. However each time the Supreme Court has rejected it on grounds of being unconstitutional. Those agitating over the Jat reservation issue should therefore realise that pressurising the government and causing inconvenience to the common people will ultimately not yield any results.

In the Pampore encounter, the Army officers and Jawans lost their lives because they were out in the open while the militants firing at them were holed up in a building. However for the Army, the biggest concern was to protect civilian lives from these insurgents who were ruthless and cared for none. Our salute goes out to the father of slain Captain Pawan Kumar who said that his son’s sacrifice for the country could not have made him prouder.

The manner in which Kanhaiya was manhandled by the lawyers in Court is shameful. Equally disgraceful is the manner in which a BJP MLA was caught beating up others. The assault on media persons in the Court premises is also very shocking. Even the video footage, basis upon which a case was slapped against Kanhaiya, has been doctored. However one cannot deny that some people did raise anti India slogans within the JNU campus, they did raise slogans of dividing the country. It is therefore alarming that those wanted by the police are not just being sheltered in the University, they are even hitting out at the police and blaming the media and with University teachers having warned against any police presence in the premises — all this seems like a mockery in the name of free speech.

A sloganeering by a handful of about 8-10 people in JNU that day has now snowballed into a major controversy. However a majority of the people whether they are from the Left or the ABVP, do not support those who have raised such anti India slogans. Even at the Jadavpur University those expressing anti India sentiments were vehemently opposed by the majority. It is therefore essential to segregate those few divisive voices and engage with those who are willing to listen and catch those who despite living in the country keep talking of dividing it.

The Jat reservation issue is nothing new. Every time there is an agitation, there are scenes of arson, of violence, roads getting blocked, trains being stopped and there is widespread damage to property and several lives are even lost in a tussle that follows. Normal life is completely thrown out of gear. The sick are unable to reach the hospital on time, people get stranded for hours, children are unable to go to school and public property is damaged. Those who are spearheading these protests must realise that this is not a political issue, this is a legal issue. Even if the government were to agree to the quota and a legislation is passed by the government, it would get rejected by the Court since it would go against the 50% cap laid down by the Supreme Court. The Jat leaders should therefore consider engaging with government and come to an understanding instead of disrupting normal life and causing inconvenience to the common people.

This issue is not about Kanhaiya or about JNU. This is about the Nation. Kanhaiya ofcourse has clarified his stand over the matter, which is a good thing. Even the student wings like the SFI and AISF have condemned those raising anti India slogans. But such similar incidents have happened in JNU in the past but somehow the JNU administration turned a blind eye towards them. Perhaps if they had adopted a tough stance then, things would not have assumed such proportions. The need of the hour is to first find out the mastermind behind such anti India sentiments, find out who is responsible for spreading such divisive ideology amongst students in the garb of freedom of expression.

Those who are lawyers should realise that they have committed a crime no less than those who raised anti national slogans. They forget that by abusing and indulging in such acts of lawlessness, they are defeating the very cause for which they claim they are fighting for. Had it just been restricted to opposing those raising anti India slogans, these lawyers would not have incurred the wrath of the people but by misbehaving with the media and others at the Court premises not only have to managed to dishonour their profession as lawyers but have also managed to divert the attention from the real issue.

We all unanimously agree that it is wrong to raise anti India slogans. One can never support slogans that talk of dividing the nation. However there is a difference in opinion in the manner in which those raising anti India slogans should be dealt with. While some feel that they should be dealt with in the strictest of manner and booked under sedition, there are others who feel that they are the country’s youth and therefore need to be handled somewhat differently. I am of the opinion that both the options are viable. On the one hand the police should be allowed to take action against those raising slogans against the country and on the other hand it is equally important to discuss and debate with those who seem to have been misled and have thereby lost track

Those who have known Kanhaiya Kumar for years vouch for the fact that the boy from Begusarai may have left leaning ideas but that does not mean he is an anti national or can even talk about dividing the country. On the contrary the conviction with which the Delhi Police Commissioner has spoken, could perhaps prove that there is an element of truth about Kanhaiya Kumar. However Kanhaiya himself hasn’t denied that he was not be present at the gathering where anti India slogans were being raised but whether he was part of that sloganeering will depend on the evidences which the Delhi Police claim they have. One would have to have faith on what the Court will decide based upon these evidences placed before it.

The unruly scenes that were witnessed outside the Patiala court is indeed shameful. Such malicious behaviour whether exhibited by lawyers or any MLA needs to be condemned. This is against any democratic norms. Whether they are committed against journalists or JNU students, one cannot support such behaviour and in a civil society, there can never be any place for such acts of vandalism.

If raising anti India slogans and declaring a terrorist as a martyr, the question that comes to mind is, if this doesn’t call for action then what does? That a University is being used for planning such activities is a matter of grave concern. The issue is not about why the police had to intervene or whether this is about freedom of expression, the far more serious issue is about the country’s unity and integrity. No party should indulge in any politics whatsoever because a nation always comes above everything else.