I am ready to face bullets, no one can stop me from expressing myself: Kanhaiya Kumar at Lucknow Literary Festival

It was a high-decibel opening of the three-day Literary Festival in Lucknow as former JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar and RSS student wing ABVP openly exchanged barbs  and jibes on Friday.  

The members of the ABVP, student wing of the RSS and Hindu Yuva Vahini did not Kanhaiya Kumar to speak for 30 minutes.

The ABVP and HYV activists jeered and hooted the outspoken JNU leader calling him traitor of the nation and raising anti-Kanhaiya Kumar slogans.

A scuffle took place between ABVP-HYU and Samajwadi Party student wing members when the former made an abortive bid to reach the stage during the function organised at Sheroes Cafe, a cafeteria run by acid victims.

Finally, the organizers and acid victims working at the Sheroes Cafe appealed to agitated ABVP and HYU workers to let the function begin. They clarified from the stage that Kanhaiya Kumar is not a traitor as alleged by few.

“You have governments in 18 states but you cannot suppress an independent voice or stop someone to express his thoughts. I belong to a family of freedom fighter and no one can stop me expressing my thoughts,” blasted Kanhaiya Kumar in his speech.

“I am ready to face bullets but will not stop opposing those taking the country to a wrong direction," he said.

Incidentally, as soon as the program began power went off forcing Kanhaiya to pull up Yogi Adityanath government.

“Smile that you are in Lucknow under Yogi Adityanath’s Ram Rajya. In Satyuga Lord Ram had left for vanvas but in Kalyuga Yogiji has left vanvas to rule Uttar Pradesh,” he chuckled

To ridicule ABVP, the former JNU president offered his condolences to the RSS worker died in a blast allegedly while making bombs.

“I offer my condolences to children died at the BRD Medical College and also condole death of RSS worker died while making bombs,” said he.

The former Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi, Asaduddin Owaisi, Satrughan Sinha, Bollywood actress Divya Dutta, Barun Gandhi, Jayant Chowdahry Jyotiraj Scindia, Sushmita Sen, Suresh Raina, R.P. Singh are some big names who are participating in the three-day literary fest.

On the opening day, former Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi released Divya Dutta’s book ‘Me and Maa’.