Whoever questions government is called ‘anti-national’: Kanhaiya Kumar

“This is being said so that thousands of questions are glossed over by the number of 400, no one asks why petrol has crossed Rs 100, why is there so much inflation, why the unemployment rate is highest in decades?” he said.

He added that the ‘Ab ki baar 400 paar’ slogan was an insult to the 140 crore people of the country. “If it is already decided that 400 has to be crossed then why are elections being held?” Kumar asked.

Kumar further said that this (the slogan) reflected the BJP’s “frustration” and its “fear of defeat”. He asked that if the ruling party is so confident of the NDA crossing the 400-mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, why is it inducting leaders who are like “used cartridges” from other parties.

“A malicious attempt is being made to alter reality on the basis of perception management. If the number is already crossing 400, then what is the point of inducting ‘used cartridges’ from different outfits into your party?” Kumar asked. “Suppose you are winning the match, then what is the point of bribing the Australian captain or taking along his retired players?” the Congress leader added.

Congress leaders switching sides

The former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president also took a dig at Congress leaders who had jumped ship to join the BJP recently, adding that those who were termed anti-national by the BJP were now members of the party. “It seems that the BJP has discovered a mine of shamelessness and whenever it gets a chance, it brings out some shamelessness. Those who were fighting like cocks in the TV studio are now sitting side by side,” PTI quoted Kumar as saying.

He said although Congress members were not getting affected by the BJP’s perception management, there were some “opportunistic people” who were scared and are getting caught in the “trap”.

‘Failure’ of older parties

However, Kumar conceded that there had been “failure” on the part of the parties that had been in power earlier, citing their mistakes as the reason for people getting drawn towards the “extremism of the BJP”. “…We have failed somewhere and I admit this we had taken our message to the people in their language and maintained their trust, then people would not have gone towards extremism because extremism is not the nature of this society,” he said.

But the All India Congress Committee in-charge of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) also said it was only a matter of time before the situation changes, claiming that even in what was being called its worst phase, the grand old party was gaining in seats each year.

Talking about the BJP’s parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Kumar said that its workers “were more dedicated and hardworking in the 1920s”. “I believe that the BJP worker of 1980 was stronger and hardworking than he is today but did not get success,” he said.

On JNU and political shift

Speaking about his days studying in the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Kumar said that it was a “matter of great fortune”, adding that it was the best opportunity wherein he got the chance to understand the country and the world better. Education should not be a privilege, it should be a right and it became one during UPA rule, he said.

He also talked about his entry into politics in association with the Left ideology and his shift to the Centre. Refuting speculations that he would move further right, Kumar said that he had never been an extreme leftist and was among the centrists. “They used to call us the Congress of the Left. Even today we are not extreme, nor will we go in that direction in the future. I think extremism was never accepted in India,” he said.

Kumar was a former member of  the Communist Party of India, and had also served as the party’s National Executive Council member. However, he quit the party to join the Indian National Congress in 2021.

-With inputs from PTI