Chennai: With the Left parties stepping up their demand on BJP national secretary H. Raja to retract his controversial remarks and apologise, the latter has only raised his pitch and charged that the Left-sponsored Afzal Guru anniversary programme at JNU “only proved that JNU has become anti-national centre.”
Unruffled by the growing criticism by the four-party People’s Welfare Front members who have been staging agitations in the city, the senior BJP leader reprimanded those who “praised” Afzal Guru executed in the 2001 Parliament attack case. “The fact that JNU’s leftist student union organised the programme to eulogise Afzal Guru proves that JNU has become anti-national centre,” he said.
Though party senior and Union Parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu disapproved Raja’s controversial remarks targeting at D. Raja’s daughter (Aparjitha) for raising anti-national slogans during the students’ agitation, the state BJP unit appears to have left it to H. Raja to defend himself. “He is a senior leader who is capable of defending himself,” a senior leader said.
“The issue is anti-national activity. Venkaiahji has immediately disapproved Raja’s remarks. Some BJP leaders and youngsters cannot tolerate anti-national activities. I think, the PWF members should ignore it (Raja’s outburst) and proceed,” L. Ganesan, BJP national executive committee member said. When contacted he said there are other important issues to ponder.
Commenting on the campus crises in India, particularly in the wake of JNU controversy and the protests that erupted in IIT (M) following the ban on Ambedkar Peri-yar Student Circle - a discussion forum for students, another senior leader in the party said, none could dispute the universities’ role in fostering free thought.
“But there should be a Lakshman rekha. Why should one become intolerant while expressing alternate view point,” he asked.
