'Illiterate secularism': Pavan Varma tears into opposition to JNU's Ramayana seminar

A row has erupted after the Jawaharlal Nehru University announced that it will be organizing a special webinar on ‘Leadership lessons from Ramayana’. National Students' Union of India (NSUI), a youth front of Congress party, has expressed skepticism over the webinar alleging it to be a propaganda of the Central Government and the JNU vice-chancellor. 

Reacting to the resistance, former Member of Parliament Pavan Varma has called out the 'artificial and illiterate secularism' and condemned those who are opposing the webinar on Ramayana.

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The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has decided to offer ‘Leadership Lessons From Ramayana’ in the first week of May to help its students, faculty members and staff cope with the crisis brought about by the coronavirus outbreak. This is one of the many seminars which the university has planned to conduct for its students, faculty members and staff to cope up with the COVID-19 crisis.

In a video message, Vice-Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said, “Why a webinar on leadership lesson from Ramayana at JNU? Well, Mahatma Gandhi himself said that there is no one greater than Rama. (Mahatma) Gandhi emphasised that Rama taught us to uphold truth justice, equality, and equanimity even in adverse circumstances. There is a great deal to learn from Ramayana to enrich our lives, particularly, in these challenging times over a virus outbreak.”

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