NEW DELHI: A day after Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar earned accolades for his speech on Thursday, the student leader on Friday said that his “idol is Rohith Vemula and not Afzal Guru.” The Ph.D. student, who is facing sedition charge, said Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was a citizen of India and a debate on his death penalty is “legitimate.”
Mr Kumar was arrested on February 12 in a case of alleged sedition after a controversial JNU event to commemorate Parli-ament attack convict Afzal Guru’s death anniversary on February 9 in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Amid speculation about his political ambitions, Mr Kumar made it clear at the press conference, “I am not a politician, I am a student.”
He added, “I have no intention of joining mainstream politics or contesting any election. I want to question as a student and I will like to answer as a teacher in the future. So, the question about my political ambitions should be kept aside.”
