by KANHAIYA KUMAR
(translated from Hindi/Urdu by CHITRA PADMANABHAN
JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar addresses students after reaching the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) campus upon his release on bail, in New Delhi on Thursday PHOTO/Kamal Singh/PTI
The JNU Student Union president’s speech after being released from jail was carried live by most news TV channels and displaced Prime Minister Modi’s parliament speech in newspaper headlines on Friday morning.
From this platform on behalf of all of you, as JUNUSU president I take this opportunity of the media’s presence to thank and salute the people of this country. I want to thank all the people across the world, academicians and students, who have stood with JNU. I salute them (lal salaam).
I also wish to acknowledge and thank all the people standing firm with the struggle, who are demanding justice for Rohith Vemula, be they from the media or civil society, political or non-political. I salute them. (lal salaam).
I especially wish to thank the worthies of this country sitting in parliament who claim it is they who decide what is right and what is wrong. Thank you to them, their police and also to the media channels… [resounding cheers] In our parts they say, so what if one’s name was vilified, it got one some publicity! At least they gave space to JNU on primetime even if it was to vilify it.
I have no rancour against anyone – none whatsoever against the ABVP [Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, student wing of the BJP]. You know why? (crowd roars – why?) Because the ABVP on our campus is actually more rational than the ABVP outside the campus. I have one suggestion for all those people who consider themselves political pundits – kindly watch the recording of the last presidential debate to see the state the ABVP candidate was reduced to. When we decimated the sharpest ABVP intellect there is in the country, which happens to be in the ABVP of JNU, you can draw your own conclusions about what awaits you in the rest of the country. There is no ill-will against ABVP because we are truly democratic; we truly believe in the constitution, and that is why we look at the ABVP not as enemies but as the opposition. Rest assured, my friend, I will not indulge in any witch-hunt against you for the simple reason that one has to be worthy enough to be hunted….
JNU has shown the way. JNU stands unshakeable today to state what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. The best thing about this protest is that it is spontaneous. I am stressing this aspect because everything on their part was planned.
We have unstinting faith in the constitution of this country, the laws of this country and the judicial process of this country. We also believe that the only truth is change, and we are standing here rooting for change. This change will come about, make no mistake
We have unstinting faith in the constitution. With all our alertness we stand fully behind the articles of faith declared in the preamble – socialism, secularism, equality.
I don’t want to give a speech here; I want to tell you about my experience. Earlier I studied more, endured the system less. This time I studied less and endured the system more. Since JNU has a tradition of research I can say I have primary data, first hand information! First things first – I don’t want to say anything about the judicial process. I have said just one thing – and all the people of this country who truly believe in the constitution and want to bring Babasaheb’s dreams to fruition would have taken the hint. I don’t want to say anything about the matter that is sub judice.
So the honourable prime minister has tweeted. He says, Satyamev Jayate [truth will prevail] (laughter). My reply is as follows: honourable prime minister, I have serious ideological differences with you but Satyamev Jayate is not your slogan; it is the motto of the country and the constitution, so I too will happily say Satyamev Jayate.
Truth will emerge victorious….In my village – you have become acquainted with my family these past days – we have confidence men at our railway stations trying to trick people into buying a ‘lucky’ ring that will give them anything they desire.
We have some policy makers in our country who are cast in the same mould. They say many things – black money will return, har har modi, this killing inflation will come down, sab ka saath sab ka vikas. Although Indians easily forget such things, the spectacle this time was so huge that we are unable to forget the slogans.
Nevertheless, attempts are on to make sure that these slogans are forgotten. How? Stop the [money] of research fellows so that they have to beseech you to restore their fellowship. Then you agree but on the condition that the remuneration will stay at the same level of Rs 5000 or Rs 8000. Who speaks out against this? JNU, who else?….
If you speak out against this undemocratic regime, what will its cyber cell do? It will send a doctored video and insults, and the condoms in your dustbin will be counted too. But make no mistake, this is a critical moment and we need to understand that the attack on JNU is a planned attack because they want to delegitimise the Occupy UGC movement. It is a planned attack because they want to discredit and destroy the struggle to get justice for Rohith Vemula. You are running this JNU issue on prime time, ex-RSS worthy [Subramanian Swamy], because you want the people of this country to forget the prime minister’s assurance that he would put 15 lakh rupees in their individual bank accounts. A word of friendly caution – it is not easy to get admission in JNU and it certainly is not easy to make JNU students forget. We will remind you repeatedly that every time a government has turned oppressor, JNU has raised the voice of protest…
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