New Delhi: Three members of BJP's youth wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), resigned on Wednesday in protest against the manner in which the Centre has handled the sensitive JNU issue.
All three were members of ABVP's JNU unit.
Pradeep Narwal, joint secretary of JNU unit of ABVP; Rahul Yadav, president of ABVP unit of JNU's School of Social Sciences (SSS); and its secretary Ankit Hans quit saying the Centre was "legitimising" actions of right-wing fascist forces.
There is a difference between "interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire Left as anti-national", they said, as per PTI.
In a joint statement, the three leaders expressed deep anguish over assault on mediapersons and JNU students and teachers in the Patiala House Court complex on Monday as well as an attack on JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in the same court complex on Wednesday.
Kumar is under arrest and in judicial custidy over sedition charges for allegedly raising anti-India slogans at an event in JNU earlier this month.
"We are resigning from ABVP and disassociating ourselves from any further activity of the party as per our difference of opinion over the current JNU incident and long standing difference of opinion with MANUSMIRITI (Smriti Irani) and Rohith Vermula incident.
"Anti-national slogans on February 9 in university campus were very unfortunate and heart breaking. Whosoever responsible for that act must be punished as per the law but the way NDA government is tackling the whole issue, the oppression on professors, repeated attacks on media by lawyers and Kanhaiya Kumar in court premises (today) is unjustifiable," the statement said.
The three students further said, "We think there is a difference between interrogation and crushing ideology and branding entire left as anti-national. We cannot be mouthpiece of such a government which has unleashed oppression on student community.
"Every day we see people assemble at front gate with Indian Flag to beat JNU student. Well this is hooliganism not nationalism, you can't do anything in the name of nation, there is a difference between nationalism and hooliganism," they added.
