BENGALURU: Terming the Centre’s demonetisation exercise as a failure, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Thursday said that more than 22 lakh people in the country have lost their jobs after the cash ban. Speaking to reporters at Bengaluru Press Club, he said 99% of the scrapped currency came back into the system, defeating the purpose of the exercise.
“The BJP-led Union government has drastically reduced budget for higher education and research. There is a 43% increase in the number of farmer suicides in the country. The Centre is saffronising educational institutions and also implementing the agenda of RSS. We have seen this in JNU, IIT Madras, HCU and now in IIMC.
It’s been more than three months after JNU student Najeeb Ahmed went missing but the government has no clue about his whereabouts. But if we raise a voice against these injustices, then we will be framed as anti-nationals” said Kumar. “ABVP cadres have been protesting against me claiming that I am anti-national.
Then why have the Delhi police not filed a chargesheet against me on the alleged sedition charges so far?” he said. Slamming Prime Minister Modi’s pre-poll promises, Kanhaiya said, “Where are the 2 crore jobs promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi? When will Modi deposit `15 lakh in people’s accounts?” Battling for campus politics, he said students should be the voice of weaker sections, backward communities and minorities to ensure that their voices are heard.
“We never shouted slogans against the country. We never asked freedom of Kashmir from India. We are not supporting any kind of terrorism in the country,” he added. He said most ruling party leaders, who emerged from students politics, from states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are now against campus politics. “They are scared of youngsters coming to politics.
We are strongly advocating for students politics in campus across the country”. However, he reiterated his earlier stand that he would neither join a political party nor start a new one as he wants to teach after his research. Kanhaiya also criticised the Congress-led state government for its inaction against the alleged molestation on Brigade Road on New Year eve and also its decision to book students for sedition.
“The remarks from the Home Minister about women was highly inappropriate. Karnataka was also not very different from the Union government that booked students for sedition,” he added. Asked about Jallikattu protests in Tamil Nadu, he said, “It’s a decades-old tradition and several people including youngsters are protesting in a peaceful manner. I hope the Supreme Court will take note of it.”