Kanhaiya Kumar, former president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union, has said that people should stop patronising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and start questioning him.
Speaking on ‘Youth at crossroads’ during the centenary celebrations of Communist Party of India leader B.V. Kakkilaya here on Saturday, Mr. Kumar said the youth do not have the habit of questioning as the same has not been taught either in their house or by the society or in the educational institution. “How can the youth be democratic when they do not see a democratic practice either in their house or office,” he asked.
The youth, he said, cannot be faulted for becoming a victim of false propaganda, misinformation, and religious fanaticism. “Youth are not in a position to decide between jobs and religion and between peaceful life and religious pride,” he said. The present political system was pushing the youth to go on the street on the grounds of culture and nationalism and fight against fellow citizens, he said.
Democracy, he said, cannot be a majoritarian state but a state where views of minorities are also heard. The Opposition parties opposing Bills laid in Parliament cannot be called as Pakistanis and anti-national.
The present rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre has given an opportunity to people to understand what secularism is. The perception and propaganda politics by the Union government will not last for a long time, he said.
“A political vacuum has led to this authoritarian regime and it will not last for long,” he said. Mr. Kumar said change will definitely come and it can be expedited if a conscious effort is made to engage with the youth. This would be a true tribute to Mr. Kakkilaya, who stood for democratic and secular values.
Speaking on ‘Role of working class movement in India’s freedom struggle and nation building’, general secretary of All-India Trade Union Congress Amarjeet Kaur said the working class will not allow the Centre to crush it by bringing in laws that take away their rights.
