"Promotional strategy": BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma on Deepika's JNU visit
What's the story
This week, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone stunned everyone by turning up at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to lend solidarity towards protesting students. As expected, a controversy ensued and Deepika's gesture was seen as a promotional gimmick, even by senior BJP leaders. Yesterday, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said she went to the university for publicity. "It's a trend," he claimed.
Backstory
Why were JNU students protesting?
Last Sunday, terror took over JNU when masked goons entered the campus and thrashed students and faculty members alike. More than 20 were injured in the violence, for which JNU Students' Union Aishe Ghosh blamed ABVP, the students' wing of RSS. But ABVP said Left was responsible, claiming its activists were injured. Amid the noise, a fringe-right group took responsibility for the gruesome attack.
Visit
Not restricting herself to social media, Deepika went to JNU
The brutal assault was unanimously condemned by all sane minds. But Deepika, whose first production Chaapaak released today, went beyond writing posts on social media and visited JNU. She stayed there for some 15 minutes, spoke to students, and then left. Dismissing this action of hers, Sarma said, "I think famous people want to visit a place like this before the release of their movie."
Statement
Left ideology is to be blamed for violence: Sarma
Sarma blamed students and teachers inspired by Left ideology for the violence at educational institutions. "Wherever you have Left-oriented teachers and students, they don't want to allow those who don't subscribe to their ideology to enter the campus. If you take up any other institute, you can go there easily and deliver a speech. Left has been spreading anarchy in the educational institutions," he said.
Reactions
Others from BJP and JNU's V-C also criticized Deepika
Sarma is hardly the first BJP leader to dismiss Deepika's JNU visit. Ashish Shelar, a politician from Maharashtra, advised the actress to not act like Mastani (referring to her character in Bajirao Mastani) as she doesn't have a director behind her. JNU's V-C M Jagadesh Kumar, whose ouster some students are demanding after the violence, also hinted he isn't a fan of Deepika's actions.
Quote
Kumar had a question for "great personalities"
"I would like to ask all those great personalities coming to support agitators, what about thousands of students and teachers who are deprived of their rights of doing research and teaching? Why can't you stand with them," Kumar asked.
Support
Amid raging row, Varun Dhawan supported Deepika
Deepika attending JNU when Bollywood stars have largely chosen to remain quiet got her appreciation. But some social media users asked to boycott her latest movie. Fortunately, her colleagues have stood by her with Varun Dhawan saying, "The 'boycott' word was used for my film 'Dilwale' which I did with Shah Rukh Khan. For "Padmaavat" too 'boycott' was used. These are tactics to scare."