Debunking attempts in various quarters to build a personality cult around Narendra Modi, JNU Students’ Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Saturday castigated PM Narendra Modi for his failure to visit drought-hit Marathwada region in Maharashtra. Addressing a public rally at Adarsh Vidyalaya at Chembur’s Tilak Nagar locality in Mumbai, Kanhaiya minced no words when he took on Modi for not visiting drought-hit Marathwada. “When riots broke in the old city of Delhi at the time of Independence, then Prime Minister Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel had gone to the affected areas where they were stoned. Do you face such situations ModijiIJ Did you visit riot-hit areas of GujaratIJ Did you go to MuzaffarnagarIJ You have toured the entire world. But have you found time to visit MarathwadaIJ”.
Alluding to Modi’s wax replica made by for placement at the Madame Tussauds museum, Kanhaiya said: “A wax statue has been made for you. Why talk about a wax statueIJ At a temperature of 42 degree C, even you Modiji will also melt away”
Kanhaiya began his 45 minute speech disapproving the efforts by the media to build personality cult around Modi. “We are witnessing efforts by media to build personality cult around Narendra Modi. They keep on saying Modi sarkar. But, I am of the opinion no one should say Modi sarkar. It is not Modi sarkar. You can call it either Kendra sarkar or Sangh ki sarkar. Because, society does not revolve around an individual”.
While thanking people for reposing faith in him, Kanhaiya said: “let me make very clear that no individual can singlehandedly take forward a movement. All of us have to carry forward this movement”.
Dismissing in a lighter a plea by an earlier speaker who had urged him to work towards ushering UPA-3 in the country, Kankhaiya said: “ Someone said we should work for bringing UPA-3.... I am not a director who will make Golmal one, Golmal two and Golmal three. Nor am I on who has become a Prime Minister through jumeli bazis. I am a fighter who fighting for social justice”
“I do not look upto politics as mere elections. For me politics is a movement. My fight is eliminating the gulf higher and lower echelons of the society,” he said.
Making fun of the talk of democracy, Kanhaiya wondered: “Saheb if you are so democratic, why are thrusting Bharat mata ki jai slogans on peopleIJ If you are so democratic, why are enforcing food habits on peopleIJ