Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi
Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has spoken on the row surrounding the Jawaharlal Nehru University and its Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh. Joshi called M Jagadesh Kumar's attitude "deplorable" and went on to add that "such a VC should not be allowed to continue on this post". Murali Manohar Joshi was the HRD minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and is the first big leader from the ruling BJP who has expressed his concern on the JNU matter.
Joshi's comments come at a time students for the JNU are holding a protest march from Mandi House to Rashtrapati Bhavan seeking JNU VC's removal. "Reports are that the HRD Ministry had twice advised the JNU, VC, to implement a certain reasonable and working formula for resolving the issue of enhanced fees in JNU. He was also advised to reach out to teachers and students. It is shocking that the VC is adamant for not implementing the government proposal. This attitude is deplorable and in my opinion, such a VC should not be allowed to continue on this post", said MM Joshi in a tweet from his official handle.
Moments ahead of Murali Manohar Joshi's comments, the HRD Secretary Amit Khare said officials of the ministry will talk to JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar again on Friday over the students' claims of the revised fee not being implemented. He, however, said, "his removal was not a solution".
"The removal of the vice-chancellor is not a solution," he was quoted by PTI, adding the ministry officials will also meet JNU Students' Union after meeting Kumar.
Large scale violence took place on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on January 5. A mob comprising of masked persons barged inside JNU campus on the day and beat up students and teachers. There were number of casualties and those injured included JNU Students Union President Aishe Ghosh. All India Students Association alleged that BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) was behind the violence while ABVP made a counterclaim saying that 'left wing' organisations were against the violence.
On Thursday, JNU students marched towards Rashtrapati Bhavan protesting the violence. However, they were stopped by Delhi Police on the way. Delhi Police made precautionary deployment of security personnel near North-South blocks.
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