Kanhaiya Kumar raises issues that concern all Indians, Swara Bhasker said (File)
If Kanhaiya Kumar wins, it would be a victory for democracy, actor Swara Bhasker, one of the most vocal critics of the central government in Bollywood, said on Tuesday. It was her 31st birthday and she was in Begusarai campaigning for the former Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union leader, who filed his nomination as the Left candidate for the national election.
"It is a rather unusual way of spending one's birthday. But Kanhaiya is a friend and I think he is fighting an important battle on behalf of us all. If he wins, it will be a victory for Indian democracy," Ms Bhasker was quoted by news agency IANS.
"I've never been part of a political campaign before so I literally have no idea what to expect," the 30-year-old actor added.
Before taking up acting as a career, Ms Bhasker graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
She said people should be aligned to Mr Kumar's ideology.
"Kanhaiya raises issues that concern all Indians -- issues like the threat to the Constitutional values and to the Constitution of India, unemployment, the rise of mob violence, the need for social justice and the need to focus on issues that will better the lives of all Indians. I think as responsible and patriotic Indians we should all feel aligned to this ideology/or thought process," she added.
Ms Bhasker had showered lavish praise on Mr Kumar when he announced his candidature from the seat last month. She had called him a principled politician and an admirable orator.
The student leader recently appealed to the masses to fund his election campaign. His request reportedly was responded to with generous contributions.
The fiery former JNU student, fighting his first ever public election, faces a formidable opponent in Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who was first reluctant to contest in Begusarai, but later relented.
Kanhaiya Kumar, 32, was arrested in February 2016 under sedition law, allegedly for doing nothing to prevent the raising of anti-India slogans on the JNU campus.
A Delhi court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the case till July 23, while giving more time to the Delhi Government to decide on the issue of granting sanction or not.
With inputs from agencies