To silence dissent, systematic murders are committed, says Kanhaiya Kumar

Kanhaiya Kumar at Punjab Kala Bhawan in Sector 16, Chandigarh, on Sunday. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

Former president of Jawahar Lal Nehru University Students Council, Kanhaiya Kumar accused the BJP government of systematically killing the people who speak against the policies of the government. He also said that the BJP government was spreading hatred in the country. Kumar also took pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of doing divisive politics.

While speaking as a keynote speaker on the occasion of Avtar Jandialwi Award Ceremony held at Punjab Kala Bhawan in Sector 16 on Sunday, Kumar mentioned the murders of journalist Gauri Lankesh, writers N A Dabholkar and M M Kalburgi and termed them ‘systematic murders’ to silence the growing dissent against the ruling class. “I feel the ruling class is afraid of the writers who are raising their voice by writing against the governments,” he said.

Kumar said, “Kalburgi ji to 80 saal ke the, unse kisi ko kya khatra ho sakta hai. Unko koi kyu marega (Kalburgi was an 80-year-old. How could he pose any danger to anyone? Why would one kill him?).” Kumar said that the government had turned a blind eye to the problems of people and the BJP diverts the attention by raising a hue and cry over religious politics.

On many writers who gave back their awards, Kumar said, “Jab award wapis kiye gye, to 56-inch ka seena 3 inch ka reh gya. Ye kaisa darr tha (When writers started giving back their prizes, the 56-inch chest reduced to 3 inches. What kind of fear was it?).” Kumar said that the murders of Gauri Lankesh and other writers are giving a reason to the farmers and other sections to come forward and raise their voice against the government. He said that the writers also need to come forward and highlight the real issues of society instead of selling the literature which only entertains.

“Aaj kal half girl friend jaisa literature likha ja raha hai. Yeh bhi bazaar ka ek hissa hai. Yeh entertainment ke liye to acha hai par isse seekhta kya hai koi (People are writing literature like Half Girlfriend. It is also part of the market. It is good for entertainment but what does one learn from it?),” he pointed out. Taking potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar said the PM is very confident about everything he says but he does not have any effective content.