Kanhaiya Kumar: We Want To Be Free, Free Inside Our Country

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Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar gave a rousing speech inside the campus after being released from Tihar Jail — “We demand freedom within India and we will continue our fight to be free,” he said while addressing a gathering of hundreds of students. Kanhaiya was arrested under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code and was released on conditional bail after spending 23 days in jail.

In his 45-minute speech that blended the personal with the political, Kanhaiya took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Kanhaiya lambasted Modi by saying, “I come from a village, where there are magic shows. People show magic and sell rings that fulfil all wishes...We have some people like that in our country, who say black money will come back and Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas (together with all, development for all). We Indians forget things too soon but this time the tamasha is too big. These jumlas won’t be forgotten.”

“I want to remind our government that 69 percent voted against you. Just 31 percent voters voted for you and some of them were caught up in your jumlas. Today, they are running a distraction campaign so that people don’t ask them the real questions,” he added.

He lambasted the HRD minister on the issue of “nationalism” and the use of word bachcha (child) by her in Parliament to refer Dalit research scholar Rohit Vermula. “Madam Smriti Irani, you will not teach us deshbhakti (patriotism) anddeshdroh (anti-national). Let the court decide and define it. And yes, we are not your children. We are your political opponents,” he said.