Mahishasura event: JNU students deny Irani claim

“It is a fake document and the minister is lying”, said Anil Kumar, who was a PhD student at the varsity when the event took place in 2014.

Irani’s claim was countered on Wednesday by Rajasree Malpath, chief medical officer at the university health centre, who said she had reached the hostel within minutes of receiving an alert and found Rohith dead. Realising that it had given free space to Ms Irani in the lower House with its vice president Rahul Gandhi walking out when she began her speech, senior Congress leaders were conspicuous by their presence in the Rajya Sabha and repeatedly interrupted the Minister as she bared one fact after the other, embarrassing not just them but also the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu stood up in Irani’s support when Kurien asked her how much more time she needed to complete her reply.

The opposition unanimously demanded Irani’s apology for reading out “objectionable” comments against Goddess Durga (they were expunged later), but she defended her action saying she did it because she was asked for proof to back her statements on JNU students.

“I have been cautioned, Smriti don’t get agitated”, the minister said.

It is not clear if Rahul Gandhi or the Trinamool and Communist leaders will take up Ms Irani’s challenge, but let me make an attempt to put things in perspective. The Congress staged a walk out during Irani’s speech. Slogans at an event in JNU in favour of Afzal Guru, convicted and executed for the attack on the Indian Parliament, have been declared seditious and anti-national.

“I want to assure the house that no innocent will be harassed”, he said. People understand such double-speak and will not be misled by the side issues these leaders raise – such as the Government’s supposed drive to impose an RSS agenda or stifle dissent. If you want, I am ready to reply.

However, in invoking Hindu mythology to prove a point on “anti-national” activity, she confirmed precisely what the BJP government is being accused of – 1) Majoritarianism 2) Intolerance and 3) Muzzling dissent.

As the upper house met for the day’s business, the opposition members were on their feet demanding Irani’s apology for reading out in the house on Thursday what they said were “blasphemous” comments about the goddess from a pamphlet allegedly written and distributed by some Jawaharlal Nehru University students. “While you accuse others of using a “bachcha” (Rohith Vemula) for politics, you do not blanch with fear while dragging goddess Durga into your deplorable politics”, he said. The stories told by these activists closely mirror the one read out by Irani in parliament, although the former don’t depict Durga as a “sex worker”.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, meanwhile said the government agreed that there should be freedom in universities, but questioned how can “vandalism” be condemned while “sedition” is called free speech.