Meet the firebrand Indian politician who has emerged in recent weeks as a major irritant and political challenge to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist who has faced escalating protests over a citizenship law he introduced in December
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI - Standing on a stage in the center of one of India’s most prestigious universities, the firebrand politician looked out at the cheering supporters before him and issued a sharp challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 33-year-old Bihari politician has emerged in recent weeks as a major irritant and political challenge to Modi, a Hindu nationalist who has faced escalating protests over a citizenship law he introduced in December. Critics say the law, the Citizenship Amendment Act, marginalizes India’s Muslim minority and undermines the country’s secular ethos.
When asked about his policies in a telephone interview with Reuters, Kumar declined to make “political promises” beyond pledging to uphold the constitution, saying his main aim was to hold the government to account. Kanhaiya Kumar’s speech at Jawaharlal Nehru University , which has been rocked repeatedly by clashes between opponents and proponents of the new law, attracted hundreds of supporters on Jan 7.Kumar’s speeches are watched avidly by his supporters – he has about 2 million YouTube subscribers and a million Twitter followers – and his anti-Modi slogans are chanted at protests across the country.
He was later admitted to JNU, which has a reputation for leftist politics, and earned a doctorate in African studies and became president of the student council. Kumar ran for a parliamentary seat from Bihar in the national elections in 2019, but was defeated by a candidate from the BJP, which is allied with the socialist party that dominates the politics of the state.
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