The controversy over Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) slogans has sparked a heated debate between the BJP and Congress parties. The controversy started when JNU students raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to accused activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 Delhi riots case.
The BJP accused the Congress party of having links with the students who raised the slogans, and some leaders termed them “anti-national” and “separatists”. On the other hand, Congress leaders have questioned the delay in the judicial process and urged restraint in language while asserting the students’ right to protest.
Speaking to ANI, RJD MP Manoj Jha on Tuesday said there is no place for such slogans in a civilized democracy, but questioned the “selective outrage”, warning that it reflects an unhealthy democracy and stressed that wishing death on anyone is unacceptable.
Jha said, “There is no place for such slogans in a civilized democracy. But what is this selective outrage? It is a sign of our democracy being unhealthy… We cannot wish death on anyone…” BJP leaders including Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Giriraj Singh have condemned the slogans, linking them to Congress’ alleged support to anti-national elements.
Singh said, “JNU has become a den of ‘tukde-tukde gang’ and people with anti-national mindset like Rahul Gandhi, whether they are from RJD, TMC or Left parties. They should not forget that this is India, this is Narendra Modi’s India of the 21st century. Vivekananda had said that the saffron color will win… I want to tell the ‘tukde-tukde gang’ that Umar Khalid and Those supporting people like Sharjeel Imam, who expressed pro-Pakistan sentiments and talked about separating the Chicken Neck Corridor, are traitors,” he said.
Sirsa said, “Anyone who creates unrest will go to jail. This is the BJP rule; there will be zero tolerance here for those who create unrest. Jail is the right place for rioters.” Congress leaders like Sandeep Dixit and Manoj Jha, while defending the students’ right to protest, stressed the need for civil dialogue and questioned the delay in judicial proceedings.
On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the bail plea of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the case of a larger conspiracy allegedly hatched behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. However, the Supreme Court granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohammed Salim Khan and Shadab Ahmed. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla condemned the recent sloganeering against Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the JNU campus, terming it an “urban Naxalite anti-India gang sponsored by the Congress and the Left”.
He said, “This slogan has not been raised accidentally, but has been raised in a planned manner by the Congress party. Udit Raj and other leaders have strongly supported it. The only source of these death threats being given to Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah ji is Congress.”
Making similar allegations, BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said, “The slogans being raised by the urban Naxals in JNU have the ideological support of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. After the Supreme Court rejected the bail pleas of Omar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, the Congress leaders have supported them. Now in the guise of students, the urban Naxals are raising slogans against the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.”
BJP MP Vivek Thakur alleged that similar slogans were raised in the Congress rally also. He said, “This is unfortunate. Such slogans were also raised during the Congress rally at Ramlila Maidan. However, considering its historical context, this is a very old matter. Before 2014, during the UPA government, this was the social culture prevalent in India. Common people, who had nothing to do with such mentality, used to remain silent.”
Apart from this, Union Minister BL Verma condemned the use of such slogans for the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, saying, “These people can only raise slogans. Sanatan is continuously moving forward and will continue to move forward. The words used for Prime Minister Modi and the Home Minister, that their graves will be dug, I feel that the graves of such people are already being dug… They should control their language. There is no place for such words in a democracy. The people of the country will forgive this.” “Won’t.”
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari demanded an investigation into the students involved in the incident. Citing recent slogans, he claimed that JNU students are involved in anti-national activities. “Some students studying in JNU do not come under the definition of students,” he said.
He further said, “If people who raised grave-digging slogans for the Prime Minister and the Home Minister and supported Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are facing rioting charges, do this, then it is certainly an unfortunate incident.” Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan spoke about the logic behind the sloganeering and claimed that the Supreme Court acted in a contradictory manner in the case of arrests made in the 2020 Delhi riots.
He said, “Not granting bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam is a very controversial decision. The government has taken a decision not to grant them bail. Keeping them in jail for a long time without trial is contrary to the stand of the Supreme Court. I say that they should be tried in the court of law.”
He said the case reflects poorly on India’s image, adding, “I think it does not reflect well on the way the protesters are treated by the Indian government. They should be allowed to defend themselves in court, but they are being detained without trial.”
Congress leader Mumtaz Patel demanded that due process be followed by the judiciary in the case of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, saying, “We are not saying that the accused should not be punished. If they are guilty, if the charges against them are proven, then they must be punished. But why is due process not being followed, and why is there partiality?”.
BJP MP Deepak Prakash accused him of being part of the “tukde-tukde” gang and demanded his arrest, saying, “These are the same people who do not accept the decisions of the judiciary. These are the same people who want to see the country ‘tukde-tukde’. These are the same people who refuse to respect any constitutional institution, including the judiciary.”
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit said that although there is freedom to express different opinions, such slogans are inappropriate in any situation.
Delhi University Students Union (DSU) on Tuesday strongly criticized the recent sloganeering against Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in JNU. According to the release, DSU called upon the students of JNU and all universities to stand with the Constitution and not against it.
He gave a strong reply and said that JNU will not become a safe haven for anti-national conspiracies. No campus will be allowed to become a center of constitutional disregard.
The recent incidents at Jawaharlal Nehru University are a stark reminder of how some leftist groups continue to misuse academic spaces to promote anti-national ideology, undermine constitutional institutions and glorify anarchy in the name of dissent.
The court noted that Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam are in a “qualitatively different position” both in the prosecution case and in the evidence, adding that their role in the alleged crimes involving the two was “central”. However, the period of imprisonment is long; It does not violate the constitutional mandate nor override the statutory restrictions under the law.
