BJP trying to communalise CJP movement by targeting Muslim protesters: Student body chief
New Delhi: All India Students’ Association (AISA) President Neha Bora has denounced the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for attempting to give the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led movement over paper scandal a communal colour by selectively highlighting Muslim protesters on its official social media platforms.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Bora said the BJP has been following this pattern for a long time by creating videos that portray Muslims as the reason for the country’s problems. She said the movement united people of all religions and communities, and that this unity had unsettled the ruling party. “That is precisely what the government fears because it thrives on divisive politics. They will stay in power only if Indians are divided. This protest was a big blow to them, not just because a cabinet minister resigned, but because it challenged the kind of politics they promote. In the students’ movement, we are all united,” she said.
Bora, a PhD scholar at Jawaharlal Nehru University and a prominent face of the protest, said the BJP wants to erase everyone else’s participation and reduce the movement to a communal narrative. “People from different faiths stood together throughout the movement. There were repeated attempts to break that unity and push the movement into the comfort zone of communal politics, but those attempts failed,” she said.
Referring to post-protest developments, Bora alleged the government’s assurance of no punitive action against demonstrators had not been honoured, pointing to continued arrests, surveillance and pending FIRs. She cited the arrests following a CJP solidarity march in Kolkata, claiming 15 of the 16 people arrested were Muslims.
“The student movement remains united, whether it is in solidarity with Junaid or with the 16 people arrested in Bengal, 15 of whom are Muslims. BJP is trying to project that only Muslims participated in the protests while everyone else stayed away.
Earlier too, Muslims were blamed for unemployment before elections. This protest video is another example,” she said. The CJP protest at Jantar Mantar lasted 49 days and gained nationwide attention after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the site on July 18. The movement intensified after the “Chalo Sansad” march on July 20, during which protesters alleged excessive police force.
Although the protest was called off after the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Bora said the movement was never solely about one minister’s resignation, but about accountability, justice for students and democratic rights.
