By The Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

The discussion that started on treacherous slogans against the country on JNU grounds has turned into comical agitation for freedom of expression. From students and teachers at Jadavpur University marching in support of Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid to Rahul Gandhi and communist leaders paying lip service to this twisted cause of free expression and not to forget the media houses that are lecturing viewers on tolerance, media trial and justice, everyone of above mentioned people seems to lost on the simple fact that general people are angry over the kind of things that are going on in institutions like Jadavpur and JNU.

 It’s not about what Kanhaiya Kumar said or didn’t said, its about feeling of betrayal and anger that people of this country are feeling towards JNU community. People are not enraged on poem recitation, they are furious at the chants that vilifies everything we stands for. Try analyzing a simple fact, the even was organized precisely on Feb 9 to commemorate hanging of Afzal Guru, I don’t but the argument that students who prepared the posters and organized the event under the leadership of Kanhaiya Kumar didn’t knew who shouted anti-India slogans. Can someone tell me why Umar Khalid and others in the group are absconding, if diversity of views and debate was what JNU student union was looking for then why didn’t they organized an open debate where people and students from different unions and viewpoints would have participated, that would have been a healthy discussion but they decided to shout instead of talk.

  Some media houses showed the destitute condition Kanhaiya’s family was living in to generate some sympathy towards this guy, I don’t have anything against the background he comes from but poverty cannot justify betraying and destroying the country. I understand and agree that there lines of caste, creed and religion are holding this country back but no explanation can rationalize breaking up the very fabric of unity that binds us together. Did Kanhaiya or all those students of JNU who even remotely supports him ever felt the seriousness of this incident or repercussions it might have. Did a sense of gratitude ever crossed their mind towards taxpayers money whose money is funding their privileged, subsidized studies? I doubt that. I am also distressed at the lawlessness with which lawyers attacked students and media but its raw anger of people in general which we saw in Patiala house. It’s a crude reaction to this senseless, separatist ideology of left that want to break this country.

Kanhiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and JNU itself have become synonymous with words like terrorism, traitors, Pakistani agents, Isis and what not. These people are themselves to blame for their ordeal. Freedom of expression always comes with a price but its up to us to pay it for a worthy cause.