Rahul Gandhi and other political leaders joined the protest at JNU to demand the release of the student leader, who has been arrested on sedition charge, with the government insisting that the premier university cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national" activities.

A day after JNU students' Union (JNUSU) President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over an event at the varsity's campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, CPI National Secretary D Raja and JD(U) spokesperson K C Tyagi met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here to demand his release.

The JNU row became another point of political tussle with Rahul Gandhi asserting that "most anti-national people are those who are suppressing the voice of students in this institution" and BJP saying that Congress vice president and his friends are "speaking in the voice of LeT terrorist Hafiz Sayeed who had tweeted in support of anti-India event in JNU".Gandhi and the opposition leaders also attended a meet organised by the JNUSU demanding "immediate and unconditional release of students union president, end to police raj on the campus and witch-hunting of JNU students".

Gandhi was shown black flags by a group of ABVP members. Asserting that JNU cannot be allowed to be a "hub of anti-national activities", Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said freedom of expression cannot be "absolute and unqualified and reasonable restriction" has to be there. "This was an unfortunate incident. But these are not small kids who don't know what they do. In the name of freedom of speech you can't abuse the nation," the minister added.

Rahul Gandhi, hit out at the Modi government as he spoke in JNU and accused the government of being anti-national. He was quoted saying by ANI: "They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice. They do not understand that by crushing you they are making you stronger. People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag in front of my face."

Only message to you from me, "Don’t let these bullies push you around"- Rahul Gandhi in #JNU pic.twitter.com/Fcv32xSsxx February 13, 2016

He added: "You must question them at every single step. Question yourselves also. Look inside yourselves & question yourselves. Later, a Minister turns around and says he was not even a Dalit. Sushma Swarajji nobody askd whether he ws Dalit or nt,ques is why wasn't Indian students allowed to say & fight for what he believes. When we fought the British, we fought them for our land and we fought them for our voice I came here to tell you, there are more than billion people in country who believe what you believe in & standing right behind you. The most important thing we have is the voice of our people."

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the university, K Kasturirangan, visited the campus and took stock of the situation even as four Deans of JNU wrote to VC Jagdesh Kumar to protest against the manner in which police "crackdown" was "allowed by the university".

Rahul Talk

When we fought the British, we fought them for our land and we fought them for our voice: Rahul Gandhi at #JNU pic.twitter.com/JynfUtendB — ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Drawing parallel between the actions against students in JNU and events leading to the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad University, he said the question is why a student is "not allowed to say what he believes in". Noting that India is progressing because more and more people are raising their voice, Rahul said that everybody has a right to disagree. Making repeated reference to Vemula's suicide and targetting the government especially HRD Minister Smriti Irani on the issue, he said, "A youngster expresses his views and the government says he is anti-national. Later the minister turns around and say you are not even a Dalit." In his speech marked by frequent disruptions, Rahul said that he will be happy to see even people from RSS and BJP express their opinion.

"We respect voices that are raised in front of our voice. We also respect what is raised behind our back," he said. Training his guns on the government, he said, "They will not understand that in crushing you, they are making you stronger." The Congress Vice President had yesterday tweeted "Modi Govt & ABVP bullying an institution like JNU simply because it won't toe their line is completely condemnable.

"While Anti-India sentiment is unquestionably unacceptable, the right to dissent & debate is an essential ingredient of democracy." Kumar was arrested over an event at the JNU campus against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, sparking massive outrage among students and criticism from non-BJP parties which dubbed it as an "Emergency-like" situation. Invoking Adolf Hitler, Rahul said that suppressing voice by the Nazi ruler left Germany in rubbles.

Gandhi said,"People who showed black flag on my face, I feel proud that in my country they have the right to show black flag." Going hammer and tongs against the government, the Congress Vice President said, "People who suppress voice of this institute are anti-national. They are trying to crush the voice of the youth. I was in Hyderabad a few days back and these same people or their leaders said that Rohith Vemula was an anti-national," Gandhi said. "There was a person in Germany named Hitler who had destroyed millions and millions of people. If only that man had listened to other people, may be that country would not have gone through that much of pain," he said.

They are terrified of weak Indian people raising their voice: Rahul Gandhi at #JNU pic.twitter.com/l30ELWKDhz — ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

"We do not have problem if RSS and BJP want to express their opinion. We just want to tell them if they will listen to us, they will be convinced by us... they are simply crushing voices," Rahul said. After meeting Rajnath, Yechury said,"We met the Home Minister and apprised him about the tense atmosphere in JNU at present. Delhi Police has released a list of 20 students in connection with the event, which also includes D Raja's daughter, but we are asking are they seen in the video shouting slogans?."

Black flags for Rahul

ABVP workers show black flags and raise slogans against Rahul Gandhi inside the #JNU campus pic.twitter.com/syJ7QIcqxX — ANI (@ANI_news) February 13, 2016

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday shown black flags during his visit on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus to meet students protesting for the release of Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar. The protestors raised slogan of "Rahul Gandhi go back" in the varsity. Besides Rahul, several leaders of the Congress and the Left parties, including deputy leader of Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, CPI politburo member Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, also gathered on the JNU campus.

Scores of students have been demanding the release of Kumar, who was sent to a three-day police custody. Gandhi had yesterday said that the Modi government is "bullying" an institution like the Jawaharlal Nehru University and it is "completely condemnable". Gandhi at the same time asserted that anti-India sentiment was "unquestionably unacceptable?. His remarks came after the arrest of JNU students' union president Kumar in a sedition case over a protest event at the campus against hanging of Parliament attack.

With agency inputs