BJP vs Opposition Over Slogans Against Modi and Shah at JNU Amid Khalid, Imam Bail Row

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A heated debate has erupted at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over alleged slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah. The controversy comes after the Supreme Court denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in the 2020 riots conspiracy case. Videos from the campus protest show students condemning Modi and Shah. The ruling BJP has accused the Opposition of backing the students, while the Congress has supported their right to protest but called for restraint in language. JNU students' union president Aditi Mishra said the protest was a yearly event to condemn the violence that occurred on campus in 2020. She emphasized that the slogans were ideological and not directed at individuals. However, BJP leaders have taken a different stance. Delhi minister Kapil Mishra described the slogans as a sign of 'frustration' among those who support terrorism and extremism. BJP leader Tarvinder Marwah accused the protesting students of being 'puppets of foreign forces.' The BJP has also called for sedition charges against the students, while national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla labeled them an 'anti-India urban naxal gang.' Delhi's environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa warned that anyone creating unrest would face jail time. In contrast, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit supported the students' right to protest but criticized the language used. CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah acknowledged that similar incidents have occurred in the past, while RJD MP Manoj Jha questioned the selective anger towards similar slogans. The JNU administration has sought an FIR against the students for raising 'highly objectionable, provocative and inflammatory' slogans. The university's chief security officer wrote to the police, citing the JNU Code of Conduct and the potential to disturb public order.