- ReutersKanhaiya Kumar addresses students on the JNU campus soon after his release from the Tihar Jail on Thursday night.
- The HinduJNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar (centre) speaking on campus on Thursday night. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma
- AP
JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar, after having been secretly released from Tihar, addressed a huge gathering of students on Thursday night.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar
declared on Thursday night that what students wanted was “freedom in
India, not freedom from India.”
Addressing a huge gathering of students on the campus, soon after
release from Tihar Jail, Mr. Kumar said: “It is not azadi from India, it
is azadi in India [we want]... from the corrupt practices that are
going on inside the country.” Mr. Kumar made his fiery speech at the
same place where he had addressed students just a day before his arrest.
"Attack on JNU planned"
In his “home-coming” speech, Mr. Kumar took on the BJP government and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that the university and its
students were targeted because they took on the government through
Occupy UGC movement and demanded justice for Hyderabad University
student Rohith Vemula.
“The attack on JNU is a planned one as they want to de-legitimise the
UGC protest, and to dilute the fight for justice for Rohith Vemula,” he
said, amid loud cheers.
He started his one-hour long address by thanking everyone who supported
him and the university during the crisis, before targeting the
government.
“I come from a village, where there are magic shows. People show magic
and sell rings that fulfil all wishes...We have some people like that in
our country, who say black money will come back, sabka saath sabka vikas (development for all),” he said.
"Government does not take kindly to criticism"
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar
said on Thursday that the BJP government did not take kindly to any
criticism of its functioning or ideology.
Addressing a huge gathering of students on the campus, soon after his
release from Tihar Jail on interim bail, Mr. Kumar said: “We Indians
forget easily but the drama this time was so big that we still remember
all the ‘Jumla’ used during election campaign. If you speak against the
government, their cyber cell will send your doctored videos and count
the number of condoms in your hostel; 69 per cent people of this country
voted against their ideology. Only 31 per cent are those who were
fooled by their ‘Jumlebaazi’.”
"Azadi from brahminism, azadi from casteism"
Further explaining the term “azadi” that is often used by JNU
students during their speeches, Mr. Kumar said: “I want to tell the
entire nation, today, what is the azadi that we ask for. We want azadi from capitalism, from brahminism, from casteism, this is the kind of azadi that we want.”
He also spoke to the students about his time in jail. “When I spent time
in jail, I realised that the constable who was taking me for medical
tests, for food, they are also people like me. They are also a part of
the corrupt system. When I tried to explain to them my views, they
understood what is the kind of azadi that we have been
demanding.” Mr. Kumar came to the JNU campus after meeting some leaders
at the CPI office. He will also address a press conference along with
the senior party leaders on Friday.
Also read: What is the JNU row all about?
| Some snippets from his speech: |
| "We want freedom not from India but from those who loot India." |
| "We will pursue this fight that was begun by Rohith Vemula and all of you and we will see it till it's end!" |
| "The PM had tweeted 'Satyameva Jayate'. I am also saying the same thing." |
| "The ABVP is not our enemy. They are our opposition." |
| "You speak against the government and they send doctored videos." |
| "This is a long fight. We will fight it without bowing!" |
| "The attack on JNU was planned to distract us from the UGC protest and dilute the fight for justice for Rohith Vemula." |
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