 "From Tihar Jail to Pune, Kanhaiya Kumar manages to be the headline")
JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar on Sunday alleged that a BJP supporter had tried to strangle him on a Mumbai-Pune Jet Airways flight. Following the incident, both of them were deplaned and the alleged attacker had been detained by the Mumbai Police.
Hours after the incident, questions about Kumar’s allegation surface, suggesting he was actually involved in a scuffle.
This is not the first time the student leader has been involved in controversies. Ever since his 6-month interim bail in the sedition case, Kumar has made headlines for several reasons.
Business Standard takes a look at how Kumar has stayed in the headlines after his bail.
Campaigning for Assembly Elections for Left
After his speech at the JNU campus upon his release from Tihar Jail in March that caught the popular imagination, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury had said that Kumar would be campaigning for the party in the ongoing assembly elections. This was later turned down by Kumar stating that he was a student and would like to move on to teaching and had no interest in mainstream politics.
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2002 and 1984 riots are different
Kumar said recently that there was a fundamental difference between the riots of 2002, which took place in Gujarat and which happened in 1984. “There is difference between emergency and fascism. During emergency, goons of only one party were engaged into goondaism; in this (fascism) entire state machinery is resorting to goondaism,” he had said, leading to a huge debate over his views.
Critics pointed out that the Congress government had been accused of being complicit in the anti-Sikh pogrom that ravaged Delhi in the wake of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards.
69% of people voted against Modi
During his speech at the JNU, Kumar said that 69% of voters had not chosen Modi as their leader. “I want to remind our government that 69% voted against you. Just 31% voted for you and some of them were caught up in your jumlas,” he said.
Visit to Hyderabad Central University campus
The JNUSU President visited the Hyderabad Central University (HCU) Campus to protest against Rohith Vemula’s suicide. He also met Vemula’s mother during his visit there. His visit to the campus had led to increased security and media being barred from entering it.
Stone pelting, slippers being hurled at Nagpur
Right-wing activists pelted stones and hurled slippers at Kumar, when the latter visited the city earlier this month. He had gone to Nagpur to address a function that marked the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar.
Maiden Mumbai visit but no takers
The student leader’s maiden visit to Mumbai saw many venues refusing to let Kumar host his event in the city. Reports stated that many popular venues had turned down booking on hearing Kumar’s name. It was then settled at a small school in Worli. Citing security reasons, the venue was again shifted to Tilak Nagar locality only days before his visit.
Social revolution
Addressing a gathering at the Bal Gandharva Hall in Pune, Kumar said that a social revolution will take place in the country, which will unite the masses, irrespective of its caste, creed of religion. He also used the platform to hit out at PM Narendra Modi for dividing the country on caste and communal lines.