Kanhaiya’s convoy attacked 7 times within two weeks, supporters blame BJP

CPI leader and former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar’s convoy has been attacked for seven times within two weeks allegedly by BJP workers, claimed Kanhaiya’s supporters.

Kanhaiya has embarked on a statewide “Jan Gan Man Yatra” last month which will culminate in Patna on February 29 with a rally against CAA.

According to the organizers of the “Jan Gan Man Yatra”, his convoy was again attacked on Tuesday in Gaya district of Bihar. The car of a Congress MLA which was part of the cavalcade was also vandalised by the suspected BJP workers.

This is the seventh attack on the convoy in two weeks, claimed organizers of the Kumar’s state-wide “Jan Gan Man Yatra” which began last month and is scheduled to conclude a fortnight later with a rally in the state capital, said Kumar’s supporters.

Kanhaiya was scheduled to address a rally in at Sherghati in Gaya. However, before he could reach to the rally ground, the convoy was attacked by a group of motorcyclists who hurled stones at the vehicles.

He, however, was not injured in the incident, CPI sources said, adding that a police complaint has been filed in this regard.

A statement was issued by the Joint Forum Against NPR-NRC-CAA, under the banner of which the campaign is being undertaken, deploring “the seventh such attack in less than two weeks since the beginning of the tour”.

The statement said, “The slogans raised by the motorcyclists clearly indicated their adherence to a particular ideology” a reference to the BJP which shares power in the state and has been critical of Kanhaiya Kumar over his alleged involvement in a sedition case.

It is clear that the BJP and the state government of which the saffron party is a part has been rattled by the response the “Jan Gan Man Yatra” has been receiving, it claimed.

“Our delegation had recently met the chief secretary and apprised him of the frequent attacks. We now urge the chief minister (Nitish Kumar) to intervene and ensure safety and security of those taking part in the Yatra or lending support to it,” the statement added.

Later sharing the stage with a host of leaders from the opposition Grand Alliance at a public meeting, Kanhaiya Kumar flayed the Narendra Modi government for the “divisive” Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha, Congress MLAs Shakil Ahmed Khan and Awadhesh Kumar Singh also addressed the gathering.