Shiv Sena Leader Raises Concerns Over Jamia, Congress Rally

Mumbai, October 25: Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam has made a series of pointed remarks, targeting actor Naseeruddin Shah, the Congress party and Jamia Millia Islamia, raising questions on each of them.

On Shah, Nirupam said the actor is loved by crores of people as a film artist, but alleged that his political side had taken over in his old age. He said Shah's campaigns against the BJP were, in his view, working against India's unity and integrity. Nirupam said he feared the actor could become anti-India under the influence of his political views and communist associations. He urged Shah to avoid unnecessary political commentary and to protect his standing as an artist.

On the Congress, Nirupam pointed to a rally planned for November 1 at Ramlila Maidan against the Chief Election Commissioner and the SIR process. He said the opposition has the full right to oppose government policies, but that Delhi's traders had objected because of the disorder created in recent months, which he said had devastated the city's economy. He said holding the protest just before Diwali was equivalent to striking at the livelihood of shopkeepers.

He also cited November 1 as the day Sikhs were massacred in Delhi after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. He said Congress workers had attacked the Sikh community and killed thousands, and questioned whether the party was deliberately choosing that date to hurt Sikh sentiments.

On Jamia Millia Islamia, Nirupam described the institution as a prestigious centre of higher education founded by nationalist Muslim scholars, including former President Dr. Zakir Husain. He alleged that in recent years the university had come to resemble a hub of jihadis. He pointed to slogans on its walls supporting Kashmir's independence and demanding the release of Sharjeel Imam, and said the campus appeared to be turning into a centre of politics rather than education.

Nirupam said the country remembers that the largest protests against the NRC and CAA began at Jamia. He called for close monitoring of the institution by the government and the Delhi Police, and asked whether Pakistan-sympathisers or ISI links existed on campus. He urged that political activists be removed from the campus so that the university could regain its former glory.