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Journalism of Courage
Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha used the JNU row and Rohith Vemula’s suicide to attack the government for creating a “tense” atmosphere in the country.
“Why are you making a mockery of nationalism at the cost of so many other real issues,” Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) said during the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address. “I have never in my life come across such strange display of nationalism… A JNU student, Kanhaiya Kumar, is beaten… arrested… videos doctored. There is so much arrogance in this government. I would believe that the responsibilities of a minister makes you humble and polite. But your minister lies about a Dalit being on the committee that probed Rohith Vemula’s suicide.” Yadav didn’t name Smriti Irani.
“The biggest fight in the country is being waged by people oppressed by the caste system. That fight has been going for centuries and there is still no justice. I would suggest we have a debate on caste system,” he said.
Derek O’Brien (TMC) said, “The President’s speech was 5,482 words long. I wish it was 5,486 words. I would have wanted it to include four more words. Unfortunately, there was no reference or ‘diversity’, ‘tolerance’, or ‘communal harmony’… Instead of giving jobs to the young people, you are putting them in jail… You talk about Digital India. I ask whether it is Digital India or Divisive India that you wish for… You try to change the narrative… because there are elections in the states.”
Praful Patel of the NCP said instead of working on development, the government was busy with the incidents like those in JNU, Hyderabad University and Agra. Ahmed Patel of the Congress said the government needs to review the laws relating to sedition.
