By Navneet Mishra

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS): The unveiling of Swami Vivekananda's idol at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)here has once again sparked a battle of ideologies in this fortress of left-wing student organisations.

The politics behind the installation of the statue is now being interpreted in this bastion of Left-wing ideology in a number of ways. It is believed that installation of the statue of youth icon Vivekananda is an effort by the university administration to strike a balance between Left and Right ideologies.

However, the Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union (JNUSU) has opposed the move saying it is linked with the agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The university administration has refuted this charge.

While addressing JNU students through video conferencing after unveiling the statue on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi appealed to them not to keep their personal ideologies above national interest. "One thing that has caused great harm to the democratic system of our country is to give more priority to our ideology than national interest. This is wrong," said the Prime Minister.

On behalf of Prime Minister Modi, BJP national president J.P. Nadda congratulated JNU students after the statue was unveiled. He said, "I wish that this statue of Swami Ji in JNU inspires everyone to move forward continuously."

The Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union has opposed the unveiling of the statue and linked it to the agenda of the RSS.

On the other hand, JNU Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, in an official statement, listed the reasons behind the unveiling of the statue. "Swami Vivekananda was one of the most enlightened great men and spiritual leaders of the country. He gave a message of freedom, development, peace and harmony to the youth. So, a statue of Swami Vivekananda has been installed in the university campus with the support of JNU alumni."