Ramjas College clash: ABVP takes out 'Tiranga march', counter-marches lined up; dissent is agreeable not disintegration, says govt

New Delhi: Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, whose campaign against the ABVP has gone viral, found herself at the centre of a major row on Monday as the ruling BJP and the Opposition traded charges over the Ramjas College clashes, re-igniting the intolerance debate.

On the other hand, with ABVP holding a 'Tiranga march' on Monday, the DU and JNU campuses are set to witness more marches and counter-marches tomorrow as Left-affiliated AISA, Congress -backed NSUI and JNU teachers also plan to register their anguish against the Ramjas College violence.

Story of Gurmehar Kaur:

Kaur, daughter of an Army officer killed in the Kargil war, got the endorsement of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and many others for her stand against the ABVP and violence on the campus.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) urged the police to act against those threatening her. 

Kaur, a student of the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College, insisted she won't be intimidated. 

"I am not afraid because I am fighting for the right thing," she said, adding she was getting numerous threats on phone and social media.

"It would be very nice if I get protection. Fear is not in my blood. My father took a bullet for the country and I am also ready to do that," she added. 

Kaur, 20, told the media that nobody had the right to threaten any woman with rape, as per IANS.

Kaur took on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, which controls the Delhi University Students Union, after ABVP activists were blamed for the attacks on students, teachers and journalists in the campus.

War of words between the BJP and the Congress:

The issue triggered a war of words between the BJP and the Congress.

"Criticise the government but don't abuse the motherland," Union Minister Kiren Rijiju  said, after Kaur also posted, "Pakistan did not kill my father. War killed him."

BJP MP Pratap Simha from Mysuru posted an image of Dawood on Twitter with the words "I didn't kill people in 1993, bombs killed them."

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Against the tyranny of fear we stand with our students. For every voice raised in anger, intolerance and ignorance there will be a Gurmehar Kaur." 

And Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, "An atmosphere is being created to protect those who support violence or are fascist in nature. But those who try to express something within the limits of the Constitution, they face violence."

The Congress also targeted Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his remark in London that "there is an alliance of subversion on Indian campuses".

Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party blamed the Modi government for the threats to Kaur and accused the ABVP of unleashing violence "both in the real and the online world".

Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back at the Opposition for its narrative of attack on freedom of expression. 

"Everybody has freedom but that does not mean that you raise slogans to weaken the country? Does freedom of expression mean raising slogans like Azadi for Kashmir, Azadi for Bastar?" asked Prasad. 

Naidu accused Leftists of trying to turn universities into "laboratories for separatist experiments". He called the ABVP "a nationalist organisation". 

"You have such freedom of expression in the country that you can call the Prime Minister by name, you write articles - if the Prime Minister dies tomorrow, X will be the Prime Minister. You compare him with a donkey.... And now you say there is no freedom of expression," Naidu told a press conference.

Naidu, however, insisted the government did not favour the idea of freedom of expression to mean liberty to advocate disintegration of the country.

"I am surprised about the efforts made by the Congress and the Left to give a different colour to the issues that are happening in a few universities saying it is an assault on freedom of expression," Naidu told reporters.

He claimed certain "misguided" sections were trying to mislead the young population and create social tensions, and hurt the sentiments of the people of India.

"Where is the question of not having the freedom of expression? It is guaranteed under the Constitution," Naidu said. He said there were also certain "reasonable restrictions" on freedom of expression in place.

"You cannot hurt others' religious feeling, you cannot question the nation's unity and integrity. You cannot advocate separatism. Dissent, having a different opinion apart from the majority opinion is agreeable but not disintegration. Nobody can advocate disintegration. What is azaadi? What is azaadi of Kashmir?" Naidu said.

Amid all this, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Varanasi, "I have told Delhi Police to practice restraint so that nothing goes wrong. I am constantly in touch with the police commissioner." 

March and counter-march:

The ABVP, which objected to a seminar at Ramjas College last week where JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited, today took out a 'Tiranga march' from the college to Delhi University's Arts Faculty.

Raising slogans of 'Vande Mataram' and calling it a 'march for the nation', the ABVP members carried the national flag as they marched inside the Ramjas College campus.

With hashtags like 'March4nation', 'IstandwithRamjas' and 'Istandwithnationalism', the student outfit used social media to invite more students for the protest against Left-leaning students' groups who are "supporting those involved in anti-national activities".

Rashtrawadi Shikshak Sangh, an RSS-affiliated teachers' body also staged a silent protest at Arts Faculty today demanding "check on abuse of freedom of speech and expression by the Left-groups".

Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) is also organising a symbolic one-day hunger strike at Arts faculty followed by a 'Mashaal' rally tomorrow.

"While we stand against the ABVP strongly in their attempts to curb students' freedom of expression and misusing 'nationalism' to further their agenda, we also condemn the violent ways of the Left in handling of the situation," a statement by NSUI said, as per PTI.

Tomorrow students and teachers of DU and JNU, along with AISA members, will stage a march from Khalsa college on North Campus to Arts Faculty against the calling off a street play competition following "threats" from DU Students' Union.

The march, which is being promoted using hashtags like 'FightbackDUmarch' and 'DUagainstGoondagardi' will also see participation of groups such as 'Pinjra Tod' which have been fighting discriminatory hostel rules.

Gurmehar will also attend the march.

Ramjas college had last week witnessed large-scale violence between members of the AISA and the ABVP.

While Left-affiliated groups have been protesting since then demanding action against ABVP and lodging of FIRs on complaints of injured students and teachers, the ABVP has conducted various marches reiterating they will not allow any "anti-national" activity on campus. 

(With Agency inputs)