New Delhi, Feb 25: Under attack, Government on Wednesday asserted in Lok Sabha that it has not branded JNU as an anti-national institution and urged all political parties to keep aside their ideological differences and speak in one voice against the anti-national voices.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu asserted that the government will not tolerate anti-national activities and will punish those indulging in it, irrespective of the uproar over the handling of JNU issue.
“I am disappointed that some people are trying to divert from the main issues,” Naidu said while intervening in the debate on the ‘Situation arising out of recent incidents in institutions of higher education with reference to JNU and University of Hyderabad’.
He said “nobody is saying that JNU is anti-national” but some anti-nationl activities are happening. “I would like to ask Congress that shouldn’t we not say in one voice and condemn it,” he added.
To gain political points, people joined the anti-national people and expressed solidarity, Naidu said.
“Instead of knowing the background, some people went and expressed solidarity with the people who eulogise Afzal Guru …any sympathy with these people is nothing but sheer anti-national and against the integrity and sovereignity of India,” he added. “We may have ideological differences but at the end of the integrity of the country can not be compromised… Integrity and sovereignity are an issue of all,” he said.
Condemning the Patiala Court incident where some lawyers beat up some journalists, Naidu said: “there is no second opinion on that”.
Earlier when CPI (M) leader M B Rajesh said the BJP is branding JNU as a centre of anti-national activities, Naidu said: “nobody can brand entire university as anti-national… JNU is a great university and we want it to flourish.”
Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge said nobody should politicise the issues of Hyderabad central University and JNU.
“You have 80,000 constables and you are not able to catch 8-10 students and instead you are defaming all the people,” Kharge said and asked whether it was Congress’ fault.
He also appealed the government to put one dalit person in the inquiry committee probing the suicide of Rohith Vemula.
