Kanhaiya Kumar not allowed into Maharashtra legislature

Student activist and fiery orator Kanhaiya Kumar was on Tuesday refused entry into the visitors' gallery of Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan (legislature) building at Nariman Point here.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union chief was in the city to attend an anniversary function of Peasants & Workers Party (PWP) of India.

"I wanted to watch the proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha here. I specially wanted to listen to the debate on the issue of Vidarbha. But I was not permitted inside," Kanhaiya Kumar later told media persons.

He added that he possessed a valid visitor's gallery pass duly issued by the authorities, but the legislature security barred his entry, and he later left for Raigad district.

"They said my entry is 'on hold'. When I asked them to clarify, they had no reply. I wanted to watch the democratic process and had all the necessary permissions and a pass, yet I was stopped," he added.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and termed the incident as "shameful".

"He is not a terrorist. In a democratic set-up, anyone can come and watch the proceedings of the law-making bodies. There must be a probe as who ordered him to be stopped," Chavan said.

BJP legislator Ram Kadam, however, accused Kanhaiya Kumar of unnecessarily "politicising" the issue.

"When he arrived here, he did not carry the entry pass. What he showed to the media was procured later," he claimed.

--IANS

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