Former JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar finally appears to have finally found his voice to speak up regarding the Naxal attack which resulted in the death of 22 Jawans. And in his statement, instead of condemning Maoists in strong terms, he has decided to use the attack to further the political propaganda of opposition parties.
Kanhaiya Kumar remarked that while the son of Home Minister is the BCCI Secretary, the sons of farmers become Jawans. He said that the “shameless” people in power should be asked how many children of ministers join the army.
The controversy ridden CPI leader concluded saying that in such ‘cowardly’ Naxal attacks, it is the blood of the common man that flows. It was quite a shocking message at a moment when the country is mourning the tragic death of the Jawans.
Traditionally, when the nation suffers such a terrible loss, politicians come together to preach unity and solidarity. Such solemn moments demand that the nation stand together as one. For if it isn’t such unfathomable tragedy that could unite us, what else possibly could? Once upon a time, in a distant past, opposition politicians understood this. But no longer.
Now, opposition politicians see every tragedy as an opportunity to cultivate their political fortunes. We saw it in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and Balakot air strikes, we saw it in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack and the surgical strikes. And we are again seeing this now. This time, from Kanhaiya Kumar.
The CPI leader seeks to perpetuate more divisiveness in the wake of the tragedy and the ‘Us vs Them’ mentality which can be very effective in a Democracy. On this particular occasion, he linked the tragedy to the ongoing protests against the farm laws, which are intended to benefit farmers.
There are major flaws with Kanhaiya’s comments, however. In the BJP, there are a fair few who are associated with the Army. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s brother is in the Army, as is the daughter of the Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Apart from that, General VK Singh is the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways. Thus, his insinuation that Ministers do not have any association with the Army is patently false.
Furthermore, Kanhaiya’s insinuation that Ministers do not have any association with the Army is patently an attack on the very institution of Democracy itself. In our Democracy, the Military is subordinate to the Civilian leadership. And the civilian leadership is elected by the citizens of the country themselves. Therefore, to cast aspersions on the will of the electorate is shameful for any politician that seeks to win the mandate to govern.
But then, Kanhaiya Kumar and his party has been summarily rejected by the electorate. Therefore, he has little patience for their writ. Hence, he is behaving in a manner that any loser does, insinuate that those who have won the trust of the people have done so through a conspiracy.
The background of Kanhaiya Kumar himself leaves much room for questioning. He is from the JNU, an institution which used to witness celebrations after left wing terrorists murdered security personnel in attacks. It is the same institution that saw slogans declaring war against the Indian State from his ideological comrades. It is not much of a surprise then that the Communist leader himself is using the tragedy as platform to overturn his failing political career.
We should also remember that Maoists are the ideological descendants of Communism itself. It is not farfetched to assert that they are ideological brothers of Indian Communists. Thus, Communist leaders such as Kanhaiya should be more careful than anyone else when they point fingers at others in the aftermath of a tragedy perpetrated by left wing terrorists. But then, the Communists of India have a long tradition of such deplorable conduct.
During the 1962 war against China, several Communist leaders backed the enemy against India. The Indian Communists Parties even issued a diktat to their cadres instructing them not to donate blood to the Indian Army. Eight years after the war, the Left Front in West Bengal issued posters that said ‘China’s Chairman is our Chairman’. Kanhaiya Kumar, as the ideological inheritor of such a proud legacy, is standing true by it by preaching divisiveness on such a solemn occasion.
It is bewildering, indeed. Naxalites ambushed and killed nearly two dozen of our Jawans and Kanhaiya here is condemning the leadership in stronger terms than the terrorists themselves. But as has been mentioned above, it is not surprising given the ideological antecedents of the CPI leader.
Indian farmers have rejected such incitement from opposition politicians and they will continue to do so. However, by continuing to embrace such rhetoric, opposition politicians are only demonstrating how little they understand the Indian farmer. Above everything else, the quintessential Indian farmer is patriotic and a fierce nationalist. And love for that nation, that is something which cannot be taken away from him.
It is precisely for this reason that the anti-farm law protests lost all momentum following the Republic Day Riots and the desecration of the Indian Flag.
