Want freedom in India, not from India: Top quotes from Kanhaiya’s speech

Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s students’ union, has accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to suppress JNU’s voice to hide its failures to fulfil its poll promises.

Returning to the campus on his release from jail three weeks after his arrest on sedition charges, the student leader on Thursday night hurled barbs and took digs at Prime Minister Modi, RSS and ABVP.

Kumar’s fiery speech targeted the promise of bringing back black money, the slogan of “sabka saath sabka vikas”, PM’s monthly radio programme “Mann ki Baat” and took a dig at Modi’s tweet of Satyamev Jayate

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Here are the top 10 quotes of Kanhaiya Kumar’s speech:

1. We are not seeking ‘azaadi’(freedom) from India. We want ‘azaadi’ within India.

2. I have many differences with the PM but I agree with his tweet Satyameva Jayate because these words are in our Constitution .

3. They had made promises of bringing black money, reducing black money and of sab ka sath sabka vikas. But they want us to forget these “jumlas”. We will not let people forget it.

4.The more you suppress us we will stand up more. Its a long fight. We will continue fight without bowing down. We will fight against RSS and BJP. We have created history we will create history. We will fight. We will win.

5. Modiji only says ‘mann ki baat’, but doesn’t listen to it.

6. I come from a village where there are a magic shows. People show magic and sell rings that fulfill all wishes...We have some people like that in our country, who say black money will come back, sabka saath sabka vikas (development for all).

7. We truly believe in democracy and Constitution. We don’t look at the ABVP as an enemy, we look at them like the Opposition.

8. This attack (on JNU) is to delegitimise the UGC protests, to prevent justice to Rohith Vemula(the dalit scholar in Hyderabad who committed suicide.

9. If you speak against the government, their (government’s) cyber cell will frame you using doctored videos and count the number of condoms in your hostel.

10. I salute those soldiers dying at the borders. But what about farmers committing suicides in abject poverty? Those farmers are the fathers of majority of those soldiers. My father is a farmer, my brother is a soldier.

(With inputs from PTI)