The Narendra Modi government was selling off India's national assets as it lacked the emotional connect with the country, alleged Karnataka former chief minister Siddaramaiah.
“The one who does not know history, cannot shape his future, too. The BJP and the Modi government do not have a history of having built this nation. They are selling our national assets as they lack the emotional connect with the nation,” he said.
"The BJP is diverting people's attention from real issues by raking up Hindu-Muslim, Pakistan-China issues. The communal BJP is misleading the youth," alleged Siddaramaiah while addressing the students during the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected National Students Union of India Karnataka unit president Keerthi Ganesh and other office-bearers held in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
"All our national assets were built by the people during Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh's rule," said Siddaramaiah, urging the students to be conscious of the history and strengthen democracy.
Siddaramaiah stated that the dalits, backward classes and women had remained deprived of education and it was the Constitution drafted by Dr Ambedkar which gave everyone the right to education. "We had hoped that with more and more people getting educated, democracy would also grow in strength. Ironically, today the educated class is patronising casteism and communalism, which is alarming," the former CM alleged, adding that the Congress leaders had embraced Ambedkar's Constitution that upheld equality and social justice, unlike the BJP.
Siddaramaiah accused the BJP of passing the crucial farm laws and national education policy without any debate and urged the students to see through the "ploy".
KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar threw a challenge at the aspiring student leaders to enroll new members to stake claim to the party posts.
"It has been 75 years since the country got freedom. So, you need to enroll 75,000 new members this year. Each leader should take charge of a college and enroll not less than 1,000 members each. Once you do it, I will welcome you and give you the post," said Shivakumar, adding that it was Indira Gandhi who started the NSUI and Rajiv Gandhi who gave priority to the youth.
"There cannot be an NSUI banner without their photographs on it. We will soon release guidelines on whose photographs the party banners should have" he reminded.
Giving a roadmap for the NSUI activities, Shivakumar asked the student leaders to design protests that can catch media attention. "The Centre promised to create two crore jobs. But on the contrary, people are suffering job losses. The people who have lost their job are protesting by returning their degree certificates to the government. I support such protests. NSUI should collect three copies of degree certificates of people who have lost their job and mail them to the prime minister, chief minister and the Congress office. Ever since the BJP came to power, there is an increase in rape cases. The vice chancellor of Mysore University had issued an order banning girl students from moving around in the campus after 6.30 pm. The NSUI should take up such issues and become the voice of the students," said Shivakumar.
The KPCC chief, who recalled his student days, said he had refused to switch the party even after the Congress party had denied him a ticket to contest the NSUI elections. "You have the privilege of sporting the Tricolour and don't ever give it up. An NSUI member never changes his party," said Shivakumar.