Patna:
Activists of All India Students’ Union (AISA) today protested as BJP President JP Nadda had come to Patna College, where he once studied. Raising slogans of “JP Nadda” Go back (go back)”, he demanded to withdraw the National Education Policy of 2020 and to give central status to Patna University.
The gherao – which was being seen by BJP leaders as a “major security breach” that was “permitted by the police” – could be another point of friction in the ruling coalition. The BJP is a partner in the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government of the JDU – a partnership that didn’t look very friendly lately. In fact, central status for Patna University is a demand that Nitish Kumar has raised in the past, as have many other organizations across the political spectrum.
In a protest today, when students of the Left organization AISA surrounded Mr. Nadda, the security personnel pushed the crowd to oust him. Mr Nadda, who graduated in political science from here and whose father worked at Patna University, was part of an alumni program at the college’s seminar hall.
The BJP leaders accompanying him were annoyed and said that the police allowed the protesters to come near them. “Besides, not a single woman policeman was present when the girl students rolled on the ground in front of his vehicle,” said a local BJP leader. Mr Nadda landed in the state capital earlier in the day for a two-day conference of leading BJP organizations. The party also did a road show with him.
Following the protest, a press release by AISA mentioned that its state unit joint secretary Kumar Divyam led the activists. The organization has recognized that NEP 2020 is “nothing but promoting graded inequality”. in statements on your websiteAmong other objections to the policy, it has emphasized that the increase in the number of private institutions is against the idea of social justice enforced through reservation and other policies.