Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not enter university campuses, but those writing anti-national slogans should be dealt with firmly, the party’s West Bengal unit chief Samik Bhattacharya said on Sunday, September 6, as sloganeering and graffiti battle between Left-wing student groups and RSS-affiliated ABVP at Jadavpur University intensified.
The latest flare-up comes amid a war of graffiti at the university, where walls are being repeatedly erased and rewritten as rival student groups trade slogans.
Addressing an event in northern Kolkata, Bhattacharya said the BJP would not enter university campuses over the issue and also ruled out police intervention inside the campus.
“Some people are entering the campus of a university and writing slogans. We just want to tell them this much: we will not enter any campus or university. The police will not either,” he said.
The state BJP chief, however, warned that those responsible for writing slogans that go against the interest of the nation would be identified and action would be taken against them.
“Those who are doing such things will be identified. Steps must be taken… Whoever writes ‘Bharat tere tukde honge‘ (India, you will be torn into pieces) should be dealt with firmly. Going forward, such actions must be taken in West Bengal.”
Bhattacharya’s remarks came against the backdrop of allegations that “anti-national slogans” had appeared on the walls of the university.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had earlier warned that anti-national or anti-state slogans would not be tolerated. Following his remarks, the university authorities removed graffiti and other writings from the walls.
The clean-up, however, did little to end the slogan battle. Left-wing student organisations subsequently returned to the walls of the university’s Open Air Theatre with fresh slogans, prompting the ABVP to mount a counter-response.
The latest exchange has added another layer to the already charged atmosphere on the campus, with “Free POK” slogans appearing in response to the Left’s “Azadi” slogans.
