JNU Protests vexatious, disconcerting and downright seditious



That students from a University funded by Indian taxpayers’ money should protest aloud for dismemberment of India is vexatious to say the least. That this happened in the heart of the national capital is distressing. That many of the protest leaders were extremists and militants, and probably not even students is disconcerting. And that some of them might be acting at the behest of terrorist organizations is downright seditious. Unsurprisingly, many ordinary citizens have taken to the streets to protest against the rabidly anti-Indian nature of protests at JNU. Some of us, who in naiveté expected the political class to unite and roundly condemn the rabble-rousers were let down by speeches of several opposition lawmakers who have sought to project the protests as an expression of students’ angst against right-wing infiltration in Universities. Over the last few days, a conscious attempt is being made to convert a manifestly anti-national protest into an ideological battle. An attempt is being made to condemn the actions of the Government and Law enforcement agencies and make victims out of aggressors. In line with this approach, stories such as ABVP students shouting anti-India slogans, media men assaulted at Court by BJP affiliated lawyers, manhandling of reporters by BJP MLA etc. are being widely circulated. The objective of this exercise is simple- To cast the Government and the ruling dispensation as evil doers and the protestors as innocent victims of Government high-handedness.

JNU Protests and the frustration of the united opposition

For two years now, the Congress and the Left have been unable to digest the massive defeat at the hands of Modi in 2014. What they couldn’t do in the electoral battlefield, they plan to do outside. They wish to project India as an unsafe investment destination globally. They wish to convince the world that India is not secure in Modi’s hands. They will make use of every single opportunity to drive the point that the ruling dispensation is composed of rabid Hindutva elements that wants to destroy the nation’s moral fabric. Intolerance debate, Rohith Vemula’s suicide, Delhi Church attacks, Murder of Akhlaque, not allowing Rajya Sabha to function at all, Making false allegations against Government ministers, all these are a part of the Opposition’s master plan to ensure that the government fails. This is sinister politics at work. The Opposition wishes to see the common citizens of the nation roiling in penury, perishing in poverty, struggling to make ends meet, well anything that makes it possible for them to claim that Modi has failed. India is at a stage today where Opposition members would gladly cheer a terror strike and roundly condemn any action that the government takes against terrorists. When the Make in India stage caught fire on Sunday, there were august members of opposition, who rubbed their hands with glee and proclaimed aloud that Modi’s Make in India had gone up in flames!

JNU Protests – a carefully constructed snare

As Patriotic, Rational and Free thinking individuals, it is incumbent upon us to not fall for Opposition’s designs. The JNU protests are not about all students at JNU. It is not about all students in all Universities. It is not about Communist Students’ Unions Vs ABVP and it is definitely not about Communists Vs the BJP. It is simply about a group of people in JNU, mostly students and some outsiders who have committed a heinous act for which they deserve to be hunted down and punished in the strictest possible manner. That the law of the land should follow its course need not be said. It is incumbent on us to take hold of our passions and ensure that we do not act as pawns in the Opposition’s design. The JNU protests is not an ideological battle. We must resist the temptation to label all Universities as dens of Leftist, anti-national elements (even though there may be some truth in that) and we must ensure that the discourse on this issue for now, stays confined to seditious sloganeering during JNU protests. Only unwavering focus on the issue will help dispel the web of lies that the Opposition is trying to weave.The acts of violence, as witnessed during Kanhaiya Lal’s court appearance only dent the cause and give an opportunity to Presstitutes and Opposition to claim victimhood.

JNU Protests – Why BJP must take the fight rationally

The Government and the BJP on their part must leave no stone unturned in exposing the Opposition’s hypocrisy and the dangerous game they are playing. The opposition would want nothing more than the government to falter at this juncture. One wrong step, one over-reaction will give the Opposition an opportunity to blame the Government. Senior ministers of Modi Government, notably Home Minister, Rajnath Singh and HRD Minister, Smriti Irani must address Mediapersons regularly to put across a lucid, logical and consistent view of the Government. Amit Shah’s questions to Rahul Gandhi fully put the Opposition in the dock. The Government must step up its attacks on the Opposition, while at all times, ensuring that the discussion happens on what happened in JNU and not over ideological fault lines, whether imagined or real. Modi Magic in 2014 worked in no small part due to the reliance on Social Media. The Government must ensure that the truth on what happened in JNU is not overcome by lies and falsifications that are being spread by the Opposition. Social Media can be an effective tool for dissemination of truth. Prime Minister Modi must steer clear of this issue. His Lieutenants are capable of dealing with the likes of Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury. He must demonstrate his focus on Development and Development alone. In a democracy, no victory is bigger that an electoral win. BJP must use all means possible to shut the mouths of the Opposition by establishing itself in a dominant position in the states that are slated to go for polls. A defeat will make the Opposition run helper-skelter, a Victory will only embolden them to corner the Government further.