Almost ten days after alleged anti-national slogans were raised at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and its students union president Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition, the issue has escalated further with lawyers attacking students and media persons on the Patiala House court premises on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Yogendra Yadav, below, left, the distinguished social scientist and psephologist, spoke toSyed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com on how the raging debate is not about Afzal Guru or Kashmir, but about the freedom of expression.
How do you view the political scenario in the country post the JNU incident?
What appeared to be a minor incident of a somewhat thoughtless action by students and an equally thoughtless reaction by the government now appears to be something much bigger, especially after the incident involving the chaos and violence at the Patiala House court.
It is quite clear that this was not an accident. This is meant to send a signal. JNU was deliberately chosen to send a message to all the dissenters, to all those who disagree with this regime.
What happened at the Patiala House court on Wednesday shows it was the same place, the same people, the same action and the same inaction by the police.
The entire incident gives you an understanding of what happened in Germany during the Third Reich.
Journalists are being beaten up inside a court room. Can you recall a time when such incidents have taken place in our country?
I cannot recall anything of this kind. The fact that it is happening for the second time within three days right in the middle of the national capital and that too within a judicial complex gives you an idea that it is not a minor intransigence.
It is not an accidental overstepping by a fringe element. The message has been sent.
And the message is no matter who you are, no matter where you are located, if you dare oppose this regime, you are not safe.
This is exactly the same thing which happened during the Third Reich in Germany.
The writer Chetan Bhagat tweeted on Tuesday that 'Modi hate' can blind you to the point that you even tacitly support anti-India protesters. Would you like to comment?
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