Left, BJP clash in RS over JNU fee hike protest

During a discussion on the fee-hike, BJP and Left parties clash after heated arguments

The issue of protest by Jawaharlal Nehru University students against hike in hostel fees and draft hostel manual that imposes dress codes and curfew timings led to sparring between Left and BJP MPs in Rajya Sabha on Friday.

CPI(M) MP KK Ragesh raised the issue during Zero Hour and demanded a judicial probe into the police lathi-charge against agitating students.

JNU students have been protesting for over one month demanding rollback of the fee hike and restoration of democratic rights on campus, he said asking whether there was an "undeclared emergency" in the campus.

Naidu cut him short as he demanded a judicial probe following which Naidu cut short his speech saying he has deviated from the speech and has not touched upon the issue on which he was permitted to speak.

Some of his remarks were removed records with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu saying these were not related to the issue of fee hike.

After Ragesh, BJP's Prabhat Jha raised the issue of "defacement" of a yet-to-be-unveiled statue of Swami Vivekananda on the JNU campus.

He then raised the issue of alleged anti-India slogans being raised by students of JNU earlier while demanding the Centre's oversight of activities in JNU, which was countered by the CPI(M) and CPI MPs. The Left MPs also got support from other Opposition parties.

After Jha's completed his speech, Naidu said only those remarks relating to hostel fee hike and defacement of Swami Vivekananda statue will be on records.