Patna: Amid a political furore over JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar’s arrest, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday asked the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain their definition of ‘desh-drohi’ (anti-national).
“One week has passed (since Kanhaiya’s arrest) but government agencies concerned have failed to come out with evidence against Kanhaiya. Is it not a fact that the government has no evidence against him? What is the definition of anti-national; please explain it to the people,” Nitish Kumar told the media here.
He said some powerful people were trying to defame and destroy the unique character of JNU, one of the best educational institutions in the country.
“If talking of and slogan-shouting against the hanging of parliament attack convict Afzal Guru and freedom of Jammu and Kashmir are crime and anti-national, why is the BJP again keen to form a government in that state with the Peoples Democratic Party, whose leaders openly opposed the hanging of Guru.”
Nitish Kumar also questioned the meetings of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Madhav with PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti.
“Is it not a fact that Ram Madhav met leaders of the PDP which openly talked against Guru’s execution and the right to self-determination in Jammu and Kashmir.”
Nitish Kumar asked the BJP to explain to the people what their definition of nationalism was.
“Is it not a fact that the PDP openly hails Afzal Guru as a Shaheed (martyr) but BJP has no problem for sake of sharing power to join hands with them.”
The chief minister said what happened in the wake of incidents on the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in Delhi “is a part of a deliberate attempt of the Narendra Modi government to divert attention from the poor condition of the country’s economy”.
He said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and like-minded organisations were out to destroy the country.
“People like Nathuram Godse (Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin) are being glorified and the BJP leaders are openly attending such functions. No action is being taken against anyone,” the chief minister said.