New Delhi, Sep 24 (PTI): Up in arms over reports of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy being offered the JNU VC post, the student community of the varsity have threatened to "resist any attempts with all its mights" to saffronise the campus, terming the BJP leader as a "regressive figure".
"Be it Mr Swamy or any other regressive figure, the student community will resist any attempts at saffronisation of JNU with all its might," Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) said in a statement today.
It said Swamy's appointment would be gross violation of rules as the age criterion fixed for the applicant for the job is 65 years. Swamy is well past that age.
HRD Ministry is believed to have offered him the VC but he has put some conditions before accepting the coveted post.
It is learnt that HRD Minister Smriti Irani spoke to Swamy about the offer. However, there was no official communication from the Ministry.
It also remained unclear what riders the BJP leader has placed before the Ministry for accepting the offer.
"JNUSU has consistently raised its voice against the blatant attempts by the present government at backdoor appointments of RSS members to key institutions.
"It has raised voice against Hindutva myths being passed off as ancient science, against introduction of regressive content in textbooks and against the homogenisation of culture in the name of vegetarianism, linguistic uniformity," the student body said in their statement.
Stating that JNU as an institution stands for values of social justice, gender justice and excellence in research, the statement said Swamy and his saffron affiliates stand against "reason, against justice and are regressive and patriarchal".
"Swamy's patriarchal, regressive mindset is reflected from his comments against homosexual persons and minorities, calling them all sorts of derogatory names," the students body said.
Harvard university, they alleged, had also acted against him in 2011 by discontinuing two courses that were being taught by him following his remarks against minorities.
Meanwhile, Swamy in a tweet today suggested setting up of an anti-narcotics bureau office in the JNU campus supposedly to arrest naxals, jehadis and elis.
"I think JNU needs an Anti Narcotics Bureau campus branch office to raid dorms and arrest Naxals, jehadis and Elis. BSF camp also," he tweeted.