'A Well-planned Conspiracy': Union Minister Muraleedharan Blames Left Parties, Congress over JNU Violence

Thiruvananthapuram: Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Monday claimed that the attack on students and teachers of Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi by a masked gang was a well-planned conspiracy, even as the Congress in Kerala hit out at the BJP saying it cannot always suppress dissenting voices.

Muraleedharan, the lone Kerala union minister, alleged that there was a conspiracy to malign the country's universities.

"The violence inside the JNU campus was a well-planned conspiracy. This was a conspiracy to malign universities of the country saying campuses are marred by violence," Muraleedharan told the media here.

He also alleged that the marxist party has a history of unleashing violence and then portray the victims as criminals. "The students of extreme left and the Congress are behind the violence. They want to sabotage the normal functioning of the campus," the minister said.

However, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the attack on teachers and students of JNU by "Sangh Parivar forces showed the horror of fascism that has plagued the country."

"The BJP must understand that they cannot always suppress dissenting voices. The criminal silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has encouraged violence," the senior congress leader said in a statement.

He also cited reports that purportedly said the attack on the students and the teachers were provoked after two girls protested Shah's visit to some houses in Delhi as part of the BJP's outreach campaign on the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"At night, masked criminals entered the JNU campus and brutally attacked students including girls and teachers. The police were silent on providing support to the attackers," Chennithala said.

The brutal assault of students shows the attitude of the BJP towards the university which had produced many stalwarts including Nobel laureates, he added.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has also condemned the violence saying "Nazi-style attacks" on students and teachers inside the campus were an attempt to create unrest and violence in the country.