Country fooled in the name of Gujarat model: Kanhaiya

In a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar on Monday said the country had been "fooled in the name of Gujarat model of development".

He also targeted RSS, saying that those following "Sangh and Manuwadi ideology" were scared of "voices of democracy".

Kanhaiya visited Una in Gir Somnath district to attend the Independence Day celebration organised by the Dalit groups protesting against last month's incident involving the cow vigilantes. It was his first visit to Gujarat, he said.

"After coming here, I came to know how the country was fooled in the name of Gujarat model of development. Came to Gujarat to participate in Dalit Yatra in Una," he told reporters here.

Kanhaiya, who shot to fame following his arrest in a sedition case over a speech earlier this year, was denied permission to address the media at the Circuit House here by the government. Subsequently, he addressed reporters outside the Circuit House amidst tight police security.

"Want to express my anger that on the Independence Day, a citizen of this country has no freedom to address the media which is a matter of great concern.

"To disallow to hold a press conference is an attack on democracy, and today, on the Independence Day, such action shows that those who follow the Sangh ideology, those who carry Manuwadi mindset, are frightened of the voices of democracy," he said.

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• Gujarat
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• Gujarat model Kanhaiya