As Parliament debates the controversy over the incidents at Jawaharlal Nehru University, BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday dared the Congress and other Opposition parties to clarify whether they supported the “anti-national” slogans allegedly raised at the university during an event on Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru.
Mr. Shah asked political parties whether raising “anti-national” slogans under the garb of freedom of expression should be tolerated. He demanded that all parties clarify their stand in Parliament on whether they agreed with the slogans raised at JNU.
“The BJP condemns such anti-national slogans. We can never support them,” he said at a rally in Bahraich.
Mr. Shah demanded that Congress president Sonia Gandhi clarify her party’s stand and asked vice-president Rahul Gandhi whether raising “anti-national” slogans was “freedom of speech or sedition.” “I also want to ask Rahul Gandhi, do you support these slogans or not. If you don’t, then show courage and condemn them. Don’t stoop so low for vote bank politics.”
“If, in the name of freedom of expression, you support those forces who talk about breaking the nation, you will have to answer the people of the country.”