‘JNU students must pledge to protect India’s sovereignty’

Nothing wrong about battle tank on campus, says Lekhi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Meenakshi Lekhi came out in support of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar on Thursday, defending his demand for a battle tank to be installed on campus.

It was during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha that the MP asked JNU students to take an oath that pledges to “protect the pride and sovereignty” of the country.

‘Unnecessary’ row

Ms. Lekhi said that an “unnecessary” controversy had been created over the V-C’s demand. “It is very unfortunate that a controversy is being created over the V-C’s view. JNU runs on the taxpayer’s money. Anti-India slogans were raised on the campus. It is an insult to those protecting the border,” she said.

According to her, there was nothing unseemly in what the JNU V-C had demanded as replicas of aircrafts at schools are seen as a way of generating interest among children.

“There was an aircraft at my son’s school, which was encouraging for students. There is nothing wrong with the V-C’s demand,” the MP said.

It was on July 24, during an event marking Kargil Vijay Divas at JNU, that the V-C had requested Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh to install a battle tank on campus. The call had triggered criticism from a number of political parties and students at the university.