Bharat Mata or beef ban, Najeeb Jung agrees to disagree with Modi sarkar
In an exclusive interview to India Today TV's Karan Thapar on April 11, Delhi's lieutenant-governor (L-G) Najeeb Jung spoke on a host of controversial issues, but at the end of it, one felt it was a please-all interview.
On almost all the issues, the L-G seemed to differ with the BJP's point of view, but still presented caveats to appear in consonance with his current political masters. He appeared to be agreeing to the BJP's stand on several issues even while disagreeing with the party.
Interestingly, almost all the statements of Jung had conjunctions "but" or "however". In the first part of his remark, he took a stand agreeing with the BJP, but overturned it in the other part. It seemed he had a different view to the BJP's stand, but did not want to antagonise his political masters and invite their wrath.
His stand pleases all - the ruling BJP, the main Opposition Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and even All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
Jung is often accused of acting more loyal than the king to keep his political masters at the Centre in good humour. It is generally felt that by creating hurdles in the functioning of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's government, he is pandering to the wishes of the BJP government at the Centre. He is one of the handful of governors like K Rosaiah (Tamil Nadu) and Ram Naresh Yadav (Madhya Pradesh) who were appointed during the UPA regime, but have been retained by the Narendra Modi government, the rest having been shown the door.
Jung's proximity to the Congress landed him the coveted Delhi L-G's post during the UPA regime. However, he has managed to not only survive but also be close to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. Even a cursory observation of Jung's India Today TV interview highlights the former's approach towards controversial issues, which endears him to rivals the Congress and the BJP alike.
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| Delhi L-G Najeeb Jung. |
1. Bharat Mata ki jai
Jung, who is a Muslim, took a stand that is pleasing to the ears of the BJP and RSS leaders while also differing with them. He said he had no problem saying "Bharat Mata ki jai", but argued that refusal to chant the slogan does not make any Indian "anti-national". He made a distinction between worshipping God and one's country and said: "We are happy to say 'Bharat Mata ki jai' or 'Madre Vatan'... But one may refuse to chant Bharat Mata ki jai, that doesn't make one anti-national."
2. Equation with Arvind Kejriwal
The L-G said he shared a good personal equation with Delhi chief minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal, but clashes between the L-G and the CM's offices were "inevitable" because the CM has taken an oath to abide by the Constitution and the oath was to defend the Constitution. "He makes some statements for his political constituency but he knows the truth," Jung said.
Jung further said though "Arvind was not a friend of his, he got along well with him". "Delhi CM has never apologised for calling me a dog but I have forgiven him," he added.
3. On AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
Holding Owaisi responsible for making "Bharat Mata ki kai" an issue of priority and importance, Jung both praised and criticised him. "He (Owaisi) has lot of following in his community… but there are many more issues confronting the Muslim community like health and education that deserve attention," he said.
4. JNU row
On this raging issue, Jung said he was not opposed to the idea of the police entering the campus. However, he said, had he been the vice-chancellor of the university, he would have permitted it only if there was widespread arson.
5. On Odd-Even rule
Like BJP leaders, the L-G criticised the odd-even formula saying it had made no impact on pollution although it did reduce congestion. He, however, said though it was worth repeating, it would be difficult to make it a permanent feature.
6. Attack on Kanhaiya Kumar
Speaking on the attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar by some lawyers at the Patiala House court premises, Jung defended the police (which comes under the Centre's ministry of home affairs). However, he said action was taken against the police keeping in mind issues like the court premises and the consequences of a crackdown on lawyers.
7. On the beef ban
On the highly controversial issue of "beef ban", the L-G said he would refrain from eating the meat as it would hurt sentiments of a lot of people. However,, at the same time, he reiterated the need to provide space to all communities in a democracy.