Is the BJP getting further isolated over JNU row?

NEW DELHI: The controversial sedition charges against some students of t he country’s premier Jawaharlal Nehru University is no more confined to being a political battle between the BJP, Congress and the Leftists.

A number of other parties have waded in the slugfest.

Most of these parties have questioned the hurried arrest of the JNU Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and demanded proof of sedition.

Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and one of the founder members of the party, Dr CP Rai, maintained that Kumar has done nothing “anti-national”.

The SP leader said: “BJP-RSS is engaging in jingoism to divert attention of public from real issues and the Union government’s failures”.

Trinamool Congress, which is backing the BJP’s bid to pass the GST Bill in the upcoming session of parliament, has sounded bitter over the BJP’s “over-reaction. Former Union minister and Trinamool’s Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy said, “The BJP has spoiled the case.”

The BJD, which is widely perceived as an outside supporter of the BJP, also maintained that there is no justification to resort to violence.

According to BJD’s Lok Sabha leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, “What happened outside the (Patiala House) court was sheer hooliganism by Sangh elements and exposed the sheer callousness of the Delhi Police.”

Mahtab said that no antiIndia slogans will be tolerated, but admitted that the issue will rock the upcoming budget session of the Parliamaent.

Earlier, RJD chief Lalu Prasad, Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and BSP boss Mayawati too had slammed the BJP over the row.

Prasad said: “The Centre should take action on the basis of the probe report. An innocent person must not be victimised without reason.”

Mayawati, on the other hand, questioned the BJP on its alliance with the PDP in Jammu & Kashmir and pointed out that the PDP considers Afzal Guru a ‘martyr’. “Can the NDA leaders clarify what kind of nationalism is this?” she asked.