Like Tamil Nadu, will BJP oppose slapping of sedition charges on JNU students, asks JNUSU

Chennai: JNU Students' Union Vice-President Shehla Rashid on Saturday asked BJP if it would come out against slapping of sedition charges on JNU students just like it had condemned its invocation against anti-liquor protesters in Tamil Nadu.

"In Tamil Nadu, BJP has condemned slapping of sedition charges against anti-liquor protestors. I would like to know if they would also condemn the same charges being slapped on JNU students," she told reporters here.

Unlike BJP, she said, JNUSU was out and out against the age-old provision in the Indian Penal Code.

Yesterday in Madurai, BJP's Tamil Nadu election in-charge Prakash Javadekar had criticised the state government for slapping sedition charges against six anti-liquor protestors.

They were charged with sedition for alleged inflammatory speeches in a conference in Tiruchirappalli.

"We condemn slapping of sedition charge against anyone, on any issue including the Kudankulam (anti-nuke agitators)," said Rashid, who is also leader of All India Students' Association leader, a CPI(ML) affiliated outfit.

The student leader said TN should enact a legislation to protect those who perform inter-caste marriages against the background of "honour" killings.

She also pressed for bringing "Rohith Vemula Act" to end caste-based discrimination on the campuses.

Stating that a campaign by students had already started "to expose the BJP government targeting students everywhere", she said "We want these issues to be part of election agenda. Elections should be on real social issues and not on who is eating beef."

Rashid was here as part of a national campaign against the BJP and its politics.

Replying to another question, she said politically they were building pressure on governments to do away with sedition provision.