The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday condemned recent events at Jawaharlal Nehru University where its students allegedly shouted anti-national slogans. In its annual report presented at the meeting of the Akhil Bhartiya Pratinidhi Sabha, which is its top decision-making body, the paramilitary organisation said that university campuses are becoming centres for anti-national activities.
Members of the right-wing group asked the Centre and state governments to ensure that such activities are checked, and asked for strict action to be taken against any anti-national behaviour. The organisation said it expected the government to “ensure the sanctity and cultural atmosphere by not allowing our educational institutions to become centres of political activities”.
The RSS was referring to an event organised at JNU on February 9, where students protested the “judicial killing” of Afzal Guru, the 2001 Parliament-attacks convict. Several students were accused of sedition following the event. The RSS also said incidents of violence and terror attacks are a matter of huge concern. It referred to recent violence by a mob in Malda, West Bengal, and said, “No political party or person is more important than national security”. It also asked political parties to give up their policy of appeasement and attempts to create an “atmosphere of fear”.
The three-day meet in Rajasthan will focus on issues such as education, eradicating caste-based discrimination and social harmony.
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