Bhopal: Veteran leader and Congress candidate from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, Digvijaya Singh has openly supported Kanhaiya Kumar, here on Sunday, April 28. His comments have now stired up a controversy among the political fraternity and has also invited fresh criticism.

It can be recalled that Kumar is a former student president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate from the Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency of Bihar. Earlier, the Congress party, as well as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), had denied him a ticket to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.

Expressing his willingness to support Kumar while addressing a party meet, Singh said, “The Rashtriya Janata Dal had committed a blunder by not offering him a ticket to contest from the Lok Sabha seat, but I’m happy that he will be in the state campaigning for me.”

Commenting on the controversy surrounding Kumar, Singh said, “I will not name the media house, but it was they who planted the ideological elements in the minds of some youth, making them shout anti-national slogans at JNU. Later, that blame fell on Kanhaiya, who is actually innocent.”

Digvijaya termed Kanhiaya Kumar an “Icon” of the youth and said that such youth shall be given an opportunity and respect.