New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for choosing to forgive students who had used abusive language against him during the recent protests, describing his response as an example of statesmanship and compassionate leadership.
Party leaders also contrasted his reaction with the Indira Gandhi-led government’s response to protests by political parties. The leaders said that while Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency, PM Modi had chosen guidance over retaliation.
The remarks came a day after Prime Minister Modi released a video message on his official Instagram account, saying he simply wanted to speak directly to the country’s youth.
Referring to the recent protests at Jantar Mantar over the NEET paper leaks, he said that some “mischievous youngsters” had used language that was unbecoming of any civilised society.
He noted that not only was he targeted, but his late mother was also subjected to deeply appalling abuse. Acknowledging the strong public reaction, the Prime Minister said mistakes are part of childhood and that childhood itself provides the opportunity to correct those mistakes.
The Prime Minister made it clear that he wished to forgive them and hoped society would accept this sentiment, adding that he held only one feeling in his heart.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s message, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo told IANS, “It is truly remarkable. Our Prime Minister has an extraordinary heart. No one becomes Narendra Modi just like that. At Jantar Mantar, a section of the youth used abusive language even against his mother. They used all kinds of derogatory and offensive words against him personally.
“Yet, the Prime Minister released his video message and said, ‘They are children. It is their immaturity. They should not have used such language, but they are our children.’ The way he appealed to them, asking them to leave the path of abuse and contribute to nation-building, is something that no statesman can do.”
Drawing a comparison with the political past, Shahdeo added, “Similar protests happened during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as the Prime Minister; however, she responded with the Emergency. On the other hand, our Prime Minister has forgiven the students and shown them the right path. We are proud of him.”
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain also praised the Prime Minister’s remarks, saying, “The Prime Minister yesterday spoke not just as the Prime Minister, but as a guardian of the country’s children. He acted like a statesman and showed a large heart despite the fact that even his late mother was abused during the protest. The Prime Minister has forgiven the students who used derogatory language. There should not be any politics in this.”
Bihar BJP President Sanjay Saraogi described the Prime Minister as a leader with an “exceptionally large and compassionate heart.”
“During the student protest, the entire country witnessed students using highly obscene and abusive language. It was made very clear that the remarks were not only directed at the Prime Minister but also at his late mother. The kind of obscene language used against the Prime Minister’s late mother was so offensive that it cannot even be repeated or heard in a civilised society. However, our Prime Minister has guided them to the right path and has forgiven them,” Saraogi told IANS.
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Prime Minister’s response conveyed a larger message about leadership and public conduct.
“This is a lesson and a message for everyone. On one side, there is the sensitivity of PM Narendra Modi, and on the other side, there is the feudal arrogance of certain people. Wherever there is sensitivity on one side, there is also such arrogance on the other,” Naqvi said.
He further alleged that the Prime Minister has consistently been the target of what he termed an “abuse gang.”
“PM Modi has been a target of this ‘abuse gang’ from the very beginning. This ‘abuse gang’ has repeatedly tried to use the shoulders of different sections of society — sometimes youth, sometimes farmers, sometimes women, and sometimes students — as a tool, carrying what they call criminal conspiracies, in an attempt to tarnish the country’s image and reputation,” Naqvi claimed.
(IANS)
