Imagine a scenario in which a private citizen one day just disappears because someone fingers him as a possible anti-national already people have been arrested and worse, lynched on the suspicion of eating beef. In the case of Kanhaiya Kumar, once the home minister had declared – on what basis we haven’t been told, though there is much speculation that his top secret sources include fake tweets – anti-nationals would not be spared, the Delhi police swung into action and took him to jail. Since by now we have been told a million times that the BJP and its cohorts hold the monopoly of both nationalism and even the definition of nationalism, this is a losing game all round.Īpart from handing out certificates of nationalism, the BJP also brings into the equation the entire might of the state. The trolls move swiftly, the fellow travellers begin to echo the cry and simple, sober folk begin to say, “yes, whatever their demands, they should not have insulted the country.” No one stops to enquire about the facts of the case or whether “insulting” the nation is an actual criminal offence. The media go berserk and the argument begins to centre around how treason can be tolerated. When the “nation” is referenced, a whole eco-system of hysteria falls into place. Events moved somewhat faster in JNU barely had Singh said that anti-national activity would not be tolerated than she echoed him to say no one would be allowed to “insult” the country. The HRD ministry under Smriti Irani wrote to the VC og Hyderabad University several times asking what action was being taken against the “anti-nationals” in response, the university suspended five students. (In Hyderabad, the minister also helpfully added the charge of “casteist”, as Dalit students were involved.) Since the minister involved in the JNU case was no less a person than Rajnath Singh, the police acted swiftly and arrested a student leader who had no connection with any “anti-national activity” of any kind. In each case, a minister picked up the ABVP’s complaint and referred to “anti-national” activities. The ABVP was involved in both incidents, getting into a conflict with other students. There are uncanny similarities between what happened in JNU and Hyderabad Central University. This is where the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP, comes in. Since winning each and every election may not be possible, the intention is to destabilise all those unions where rivals – especially from the left and progressive groups – may be holding office. To really get a grip on the universities, it is crucial to also put your own people in student unions. From changing school curricula to appointing friendly vice-chancellors, everything is well thought out. From day one of this government – the appointment of a highly willing and amenable HRD minister – they have put their game plan into action. Taking control of the education system is a very critical part of the Sangh agenda. Politicians, teachers unions and citizens may be angry and appalled at the government’s heavy handed action in arresting a student leader on the serious charge of sedition, but the BJP and its assorted arms have achieved a key objective: they have taken one step towards their goal of capturing India’s universities.
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