PM Discusses JNU Controversy With Opposition Leaders

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was asked today by opposition leaders to intervene in the crisis at Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU, where a student leader was arrested on sedition charges last week, resulting in public outrage and large protests at the prestigious campus.

The PM assured them that he is the leader of the country and not just of one political party, said sources at the meeting, called before Parliament convenes its crucial budget session on the 23rd of this month.

Opposition parties have made it clear that while they are firmly against any anti-national activity, the arrest of Kanhaiya Kumar, a student leader at JNU, and the police raid on the campus are tantamount to a gross over-reaction by the government. "The Congress made it clear that those who don't believe in the Indian Constitution or the unity of India should be acted against... but the heavy-handed action at JNU, including the case of sedition, needs to be addressed," said Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who was present at the conferral with the PM.

The sedition case is rooted in an event held at JNU to mark the third death anniversary of terrorist Afzal Guru, who was executed three years ago. Some students made remarks in support of him.

The opposition alleges the action against the student is the latest manifestation of the government's commitment to crushing dissent including at universities, a charge denied as baseless by the Centre.

But defending the JNU student's arrest, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, "People also said that police should not have been allowed to enter the university. We said that who would have taken responsibility if something happened."

At the top of the government's agenda for the Budget session of Parliament is winning the opposition's support in clearing a landmark tax reform, a national Goods and Services Tax or GST. The Lok Sabha has cleared the proposal, but the Congress has stalled it in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority.

The PM sought the opposition's help in clearing this and other reforms, key to juicing up the economy. The Congress was non-committal about whether it will allow the Rajya Sabha to function - the last session was paralysed with daily protests by the Congress against the government.