JNU’s DNA is 'anti-India', says Gurumurthy

Jawaharlal Nehru University’s DNA has always been “against this country” ever since its inception in 1969 and the institution should be “shut down” if efforts to “reform” it does not succeed, RSS ideologue and part-time director of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) S Gurumurthy said here on Tuesday.

Gurumurthy made the remarks at the annual day celebrations of Tughlaq magazine founded by late Cho Ramasamy and currently being edited by him.

“When the Congress split in 1969 and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had to seek the support of Communists, their only demand was to hand over education to them.

"JNU came into being during Indira Gandhi’s tenure and it slowly turned anti-Congress and then against the country in 1982. That is when the institute was closed for 43 days,” Gurumurthy said in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Tamil superstar Rajinikanth.

“JNU’s DNA has always been against this country and it is well known. The institution should be reformed and if it can’t be done then it should be closed down. That is the truth,” he told the gathering in response to a question posed by a reader.

He also accused the media of not “bringing out the truth” on JNU as “those in the industry are scared” that people may not call them “liberals” and “secularists.”

Gurumurthy’s comments against JNU is the latest from those associated with BJP and RSS and comes at a time when the institution is in the news for an alleged attack by ABVP activists on office-bearers and students owing allegiance to Left-wing organisations.

In his speech, Rajinikanth advised the media to report in all fairness and made a veiled attack on the DMK. “If one has Murasoli (DMK mouthpiece) in their hand, we can say they are from DMK. But if one has Tughlaq magazine in their hands, they are sure to be brilliant,” he said.