Time to take communal forces head-on: Medha Patkar to JNU

Narmada Bachao Andolan and Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangayhan convener Medha Patkar on Tuesday condemned the ongoing attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) saying it was time to take the communal forces head-on.

"I feel sad, and, on the other hand, I am glad the youth of this country, the students have taken a clear position. It is time to take communal forces head-on," Patkar told IANS at JNU where she came to show solidarity to the agitating students.

She said the Bharatiya Janata Party was reducing space for students to debate. "The BJP is killing space for progressive students to speak," she said, adding that the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has grown aggressive.

Speaking on similarities between incidents at University of Hyderabad and JNU, Patkar said: "Dalit students are facing casteist attitude. A crude intervention has been started against them.

"Communal forces need to be controlled by the society. A myth is being circulated in the society by them," she said.