New Delhi: Opposition's criticism of its handling of the JNU row notwithstanding, the government on Wednesday said what happened at the prestigious university was "definitely an anti-national activity", which cannot be allowed.
As the first half of the budget session came to an end today, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said it was good that issues like JNU row and Rohith Vemula's suicide were debated in both Houses as it "exposed" many parties which had earlier adopted a "spit and run" strategy.
Claiming the government has given effective responses to all issues that the opposition raised, Naidu said, "JNU incident raised some serious issues. Universities, the highest seats of learning, are supposed to be the breeding grounds for reason, responsibility and maturity instead of pioneering anti-national activities. This message has effectively gone out in the public domain as a result of some opposition parties seeking to make a political capital out of it."
"Clearly what was happening in JNU by people inspired by a particular ideology, ultra-Left and separatist forces... Is definitely an anti-national activity. Government cannot allow such thing. All these things are in public domain. Some people have a fancy. They have become zeroes. So they want to make heroes. All parties are thoroughly exposed," he said.
Without naming Congress, he said that it was regrettable that a party, which has ruled the country for such a long time, is putting up posters of those who shouted slogans in favour of Afzal Guru in poll-bound Assam.
Calling the suicide of a "bright scholar" Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University as "unfortunate", Naidu said the truth will come out.
"Government is nowhere in picture," he asserted and pointed out that ten students of Hyderabad University including Dalits had committed suicide sometime back. No one visited them, including the Congress president.
Ruing that the government of the day is targeted for no reason by allowing "free play for politics", he said, "Dissent has a certain place in democracy but not disruption and disintegration of institutions. One can criticise the State which is only a component of the Nation but upholding nationalism is the solemn duty of all citizens. No one can afford to compromise on this."
