Students with lantern in their hands as they chant, "Hawa me ud gaye Jai Shri Ram" in JNU campus (Image: Source: X)
Once again, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in Delhi resounded with anti-Sanatana and anti-Brahmin slogans amid the ongoing JNUSU (Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union) elections. Prior to the Presidential debate among the candidates vying for the University President position, students engaged in fervent sloganeering.
Accompanied by the beats of dhol and trumpet, students affiliated with various unions raised chants such as “Brahminvaad se Azadi” and “Mile Mulayam Kanshiram, Hawa me Ud Gaye Jai Shri Ram” (signifying the fading of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ chants associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh joined forces with Kanshiram).
The slogans mentioning Kanshiram, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were first raised back in the 1993 assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh.
Notably, on March 22, a large crowd of students had gathered on the JNU campus to listen to the speeches and promises made by as many as eight contenders for the JNUSU President. The JNUSU presidential debate mirrors the customary ceremonies observed in the United States before elections, providing a platform for addressing students and addressing campus issues.
It was during this event that certain student unions began vociferously chanting slogans targeting Brahmins and Bhagwan Ram, a revered deity in Sanatan Dharma. Those engaged in these chants sported green scarves on their heads and also carried lantern lamps, symbols associated with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a JNU student exclusively shared insights with Organiser following the incident, revealing that the students chanting these slogans were affiliated with the RJD’s Youth wing on campus.
Well, this is not the first time that such slogans have been raised in the campus, In December 2022, the walls of the campus were vandalised with anti-Brahmanical slogans. Specifically, the walls of the second and third floors of the School of Language and Literature, along with the doors of several faculty members, were pained with objectionable graffiti.
Some of the slogans on the wall included ‘Brahmins Leave The Campus’, ‘There Will Be Blood’, and ‘Brahmino-Baniyas, we are coming for you! We will avenge.’
Mulayam and Lalu went hand in hand against ‘Ram Rath Yatra’
Notably, the campaign for a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya traces its origins back to the 1986 resolution of the RSS Pratinidhi Sabha. However, it gained significant momentum and captured nationwide attention after the then BJP president, LK Advani, decided to spearhead a rath yatra.
During that period, the government led by VP Singh at the centre was facing instability due to internal conflicts within the ruling Janata Dal. In Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, also from the same party, held the position of Chief Minister. The Janata Dal opposed the Ram Rath Yatra, a sentiment echoed by Yadav himself. In a public address, he proclaimed, “Let them try and enter Ayodhya. We will teach them the meaning of law. No masjid will be broken.”
On October 30, Karseva Day, as numerous Hindus and activists marched towards the Babri Structure, the police had heavily barricaded the pathway. Despite the imposition of a curfew, the determined karyakartas continued their march towards the structure.
By noon, police received orders from then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to open fire at the karsevaks. The firing led to chaos and a stampede. Police chased down the karsevaks in the streets of Ayodhya
On November 2, another bout of clashes erupted when the karsevaks resumed their march towards the Babri Structure. This time, the karsevaks, comprising women and elderly individuals, initiated their march by reverentially touching the feet of the security personnel. Taken aback by this gesture, the security personnel momentarily stepped back, allowing the karsevaks to advance. However, as security forces caught onto the tactic and attempted to halt their progress, the karsevaks persisted. Failing to deter them, security forces resorted to opening fire for the second time in three days.
The confrontations resulted in numerous casualties. Official records indicated 17 deaths, although the BJP contested this figure, claiming a higher toll. Among the deceased were the Kothari brothers – Ram and Sharad – from Kolkata, who had been spotted atop the Babri structure on October 30, hoisting the saffron flag. Their bodies were discovered on November 2 in a lane near the Hanuman Garhi temple, situated in the vicinity of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri site. Allegations surfaced suggesting that the police had forcibly removed them from a residence and subsequently killed them.
In 2017, addressing his supporters on his 79th birthday, Mulayam Singh Yadav justified his order to open fire at karsevaks. He told his supporters that he had a discussion with Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the late BJP leader and the prime minister of the country, over the number of deaths in the police firing.
While Vajpayee claimed 56 deaths, Mulayam Singh Yadav put the death toll at 28. On another occasion, Mulayam Singh Yadav said it was a “painful” decision to open fire but was taken in the “interest” of the country.
RJD leader Lalu Yadav played a significant role in halting LK Advani’s Rath Yatra. As the newly appointed Chief Minister of Bihar in 1990, Lalu intercepted the Advani-led yatra, which was en route to Ayodhya. In order to maintain law and order along the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border, Advani was placed under preventive custody.
Advani’s arrest precipitated the collapse of the V. P. Singh government at the Centre, as the BJP withdrew its support, consequently triggering early general elections.
SP and RJD’s hate for Bhagwan Ram
On January 22, 2024, Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya made a statement to a news channel that Ramcharitmanas, written by Goswami Tulsidas in the 17th century, propagated social discrimination and incited hatred. He called for the prohibition of the “objectionable sections” of the scripture.
Maurya expressed, “Religion is intended for the betterment of humanity and its empowerment. If certain passages in the Ramcharitmanas lead to the denigration of a particular section of society based on caste, it is not righteousness but rather unrighteousness. There are specific verses that mention caste names such as ‘teli’ and ‘kumhaar’.”
Similarly, in June 2023, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and MLA Ritlal Yadav sparked a controversy with his provocative remarks concerning ‘Ramcharitmanas’.
During a discussion on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindutva, Yadav made a contentious statement, questioning, “Was Hindutva not under threat when Ramcharitmanas was being composed inside a mosque?”
Representing the Danapur constituency, Yadav, who has faced multiple charges including murder and kidnapping, continued his provocative stance by asking, “Wasn’t Hindutva in jeopardy during the Mughal rule?”
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