AAP to attack BJP over NIT

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 12

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) plans to hijack the BJP’s nationalism agenda to corner the saffron party at the national level by vowing to rake up the National Institute of Technology (NIT) issue.

“Of course, we will take up the issue at the national level because BJP leaders have failed to do justice with the NIT students who suffered police brutality for hoisting the national flag and raising pro-India slogans,” said Kapil Mishra, Cabinet minister in Arvind Kejriwal government.

With the BJP maintaining a visible distance from the agitating students, AAP jumped into the controversy to channelise the anger brewing among students after alleged police brutality for hoisting the national flag.

Mishra holds portfolios of Water; Law, Justice and Legislative Affairs; Tourism, Art, Culture and Languages; and Gurdwara Election in the Delhi Government.

He flew to Jammu this morning to rescue hundreds of stranded NIT students. He managed food and shelter for these students and arranged buses for the students to reach Delhi.

“It is our duty to provide every possible assistance to these helpless students who are victims of pseudo-nationalism of the BJP. The brutality inflicted on these students substantiates the allegation that the BJP’s nationalism is confined to sloganeering,” Mishra said.

He asserted that the only fault of NIT students was hoisting the national flag on NIT premises. After Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh’s meeting with agitating students, the BJP stated that all issues had been sorted out and there was no need for any further discussion.

Students countered that the real issues were yet to be addressed as no action had been taken against the police personnel who committed the brutalities. Mishra hinted that AAP would not hesitate to rake up the issue at the national level to expose the BJP’s “double standard” on nationalism.

“On our way to Delhi, AAP workers will arrange receptions in Punjab and Haryana for the daring students to give them a feeling that the nation is with them,” he said.

Calling the BJP’s response as ridiculous and childish, the AAP leader said it was not an administrative issue, as claimed by the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

“The real issue is hoisting of the national flat on the premises of NIT in Srinagar and justice for those who were ruthlessly beaten up by state police personnel for raising the Tricolour,” he said.