On Saturday, BJP MP Hansraj Hans suggested that Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) should be be renamed as Modi Narendra University in recognition of the Modi-led government for reading down Article 370 and bifurcating the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
According to News18, the MP was at the university for an event organised to commemorate martyred Indian soldiers.
As soon as the discussion on Article 370 began, he said that, “Mai kehta hoon iska [JNU] naam MNU [Modi Narendra University] kardo, Modi ji ke naam pe bhi to kuch hona chahiye. (I believe JNU’s should be renamed MNU. There should be something on Modi ji’s name too).”
#WATCH Delhi: BJP’s Hans Raj Hans speaks in JNU on Article 370 abrogation. Says “Dua karo sab aman se rahein, bomb na chale…Hamare buzurgon ne galatiyan ki hain hum bhugat rahe hain…Main kehta hoon iska naam MNU kar do, Modi ji ke naam pe bhi to kuch hona chahiye…” (17.08) pic.twitter.com/gejRVIXhZa
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2019
The MP aligns with BJP’s constant efforts to rename cities, institutions and roads in the name of honouring India’s forgotten past. While Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, last year, said that concrete steps will be taken to change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati.
Also read: An Open Letter From the Walls of JNU
The MP also echoes his party’s sentiment against Nehru when he says, “buzargon ne galtiuyan ki hain hum bhugat rahe hain (our ancestors have made mistakes and we are suffering)”, while indirectly referring to the first prime minister.
Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah, with reference to Nehru’s decision on Jammu & Kashmir claimed that Sardar Vallabhai Patel was not even involved in the process. Shah said:
Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister who called for a ceasefire. That part is now in Pakistan. You are teaching us history, making allegations, and doing press conference, we will not take this and that into confidence. Without taking into confidence the home minister and deputy prime minister of the nation, Jawaharlal Nehru has taken the decision; if [others were] taken into confidence, today the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir would have been in India’s possession.
These claims, according to Supreme Court lawyer and constitutional expert A.G. Noorani, were false because Nehru did take Sardar Vallabhai Patel into confidence before taking the final decision.
Hansraj Hans, on the other hand, hailed the Modi government’s decision saying “Modi hai to mumkin hai (everything impossible could be made a reality by PM Modi).” He also appealed for peace in the Valley.
While some students present at the venue applauded his statement, others didn’t agree with him.
The JNU student union’s president N. Sai Balaji took to Twitter saying:
What does MNU Stand for?
a) Mamidala National University
b) Manusmriti National University
c) Modi National University
d) All of the Above (Mamidala-Modi-Manusmriti National University)
— N Sai Balaji (@nsaibalaji) August 18, 2019
Meanwhile, other BJP ministers have refrained from commented on the MP’s statement.
Featured image credit: Facebook