After years of controversy surrounding an alleged ‘anti-national’ event held on campus by student leaders like Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar and others in February 2016, the famously Left-leaning Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the national capital will organise a viewing of the live-stream of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony to be held in Ayodhya’s grand new Ram Temple on January 22.
Giant screens on campus that once amplified calls like ‘Azad Kashmir’ will show live visuals from the Ram Temple under the careful watch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The Sangh has pressed its affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and student body Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) into action to ensure the live-stream is a grand success.
“Efforts are afoot to also do puja at a local temple and offer Prasad to students at JNU. In the evening, diyas will be lit too,” Dr Parvesh Kumar, national spokesperson of the VHP, told News18.
On Thursday, the university, which has traditionally been a Left bastion, witnessed a discussion on Ram Mandir attended by RSS ideologues J Nanda Kumar, MP Swapan Dasgupta, and BJP leader Gopal Krishna Agarwal, among others. The topic of discussion was ‘The Rise Of Bharat Ram Mandir & Culture Renaissance’.
Meanwhile, at the Delhi University, which is dominated by the ABVP, the Sangh has set an ambitious goal of lighting 2.25 lakh diyas on January 22. The Regional Organisation Chief (Prant Sangathan Mantri) of the ABVP told News18 that the outfit has deployed the might of the entire organisation to make it a success.
“Do you think attaining such a target is tough for the Sangh? You have seen how we have reached out to so many during ‘Akshat Nimantran’. Even if we set a target of 5 lakh diyas, that too will be easily attainable given how we function. All we have to do is ask every member to bring 50 diyas and light them,” said Parvesh Kumar.
Both JNU and DU campuses will be decked in saffron flags and posters bearing Lord Ram’s photo over the weekend, says the ABVP.
Amid the festive frenzy, the University of Delhi announced on Friday that the institution will be observing a half-day holiday on Monday, the same day its Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh will be attending the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ event of Lord Ram at Ayodhya.
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