“‘Anti-National’ Should Be A Badge Of Honour”

Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, in an extended interview to news agency PTI, has claimed that the Modi government is “roaming around with stickers” to be put on those who do not echo its ‘mann ki baat’. Kumar also asserted that being called “anti-national” for calling into question the policies of the current dispensation should be seen as a “badge of honour”.

“If you do something good for the nation, then naturally this badge of honour will be pasted on you,” Kumar said. He added that if one is not being called “anti-national”, it means one is doing nothing good for the nation.

The former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students’ union president, on some calling JNU students “anti-national” after a protest in 2016, said it is a “badge of honour” and not something that one should feel bad about. “It is a badge of honour because if you are doing something which you feel is right, those affected by that work will say bad things. If someone considers me his enemy, he will not praise me, but will only say bad things about me. I think if someone wants to hurt you, it is important you should not feel hurt,” Kumar said.

The Congress leader added, “Today, whoever questions the government, whether a political person or not, is being given this badge of honour. A few days ago, it was being given to farmers, before that it was being given to journalists, before that it was given to students. This government keeps giving this badge from time to time to various sections of society.”

Kumar said further that this is the “era of emojis”, and  that earlier people used to be introverts or extroverts, but nowadays people are becoming ‘textoverts’. He said, “Nowadays, any emoji can be easily pasted. This government is roaming around with stickers. As soon as you speak against them, you do not echo their ‘mann ki baat‘, a sticker is easily pasted on you.”

When questioned about his speech after his release from jail in a case of alleged anti-national sloganeering on the JNU campus, he said it was the most important part of his life. Kumar said, “In this country, it is a matter of great fortune to get a chance to go to school and college, but it should not be so. Education should not be a privilege, it should be a right, and it became one during UPA rule.”

While talking about his JNU days, Kumar said it was the best opportunity to study in the most prestigious university of the country. He had a chance to understand the country and the world there. “JNU has made great contributions to nation building, and even in the present government, several ministers have studied there. Many secretaries and even Nobel laureates are its alumni. I always believe that was an important period of my life. This was my journey… I want that line (‘azaadi‘ slogan) to always remain in my mind so that I keep remembering it so that I can contribute to society,” Kumar said further.

Kumar said the slogan is still relevant today. “The slogan of ‘azaadi‘ is still relevant. Even today, I raise this slogan in movements. I believe that when darkness is increasing in society, we should talk about light. During British rule, we were ‘subjects’, then we became citizens. Now, the entire system wants to reduce us to numbers.” He said further, “Does being a citizen mean that we only talk about numbers? Efforts are being made in this country to make people slaves again mentally. Nowadays, the government is not being questioned but the opposition. Everything is being turned upside down.”

Kumar asserted that if Narendra Modi is the prime minister of the country today, it is because the founding fathers established democracy in the country. “I say that if Jawaharlal Nehru had not become the first prime minister of the country, Narendra Modi would not have been the prime minister of the country today. We are seeing that there is talk of destroying the spirit of equality. When slavery is being talked about, there is a need to speak loudly about freedom. When we talk about freedom, we talk about freedom from problems within the country,” Kumar said. He added that the “azaadi” slogan is still relevant today and will remain so in future.