By Pawan Kumar
“There were mostly ‘puncture repairers’ and ‘locksmiths’ at the Jantar Mantar protest.”
As the BJP continues to portray the Cockroach Janta Party-led student movement through a communal lens, former BJP MP and RSS member Ramesh Bidhuri described participants of the Jantar Mantar protest as “puncture repairers” and “locksmiths” while addressing the BJP’s ‘Gen-Z Summit’ in Delhi on August 2. In Right-wing rhetoric, “puncture repairer” is often used as a derogatory, communal slur to insinuate Muslims. Reinforcing the dog whistle, Bidhuri told the audience, “You know very well who the puncture repairers are.”
The BJP-organised summit was held at Tughlakabad in South Delhi, with Delhi’s minister for home, power and education, Ashish Sood, attending as the chief guest. Speaking about the student protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bidhuri claimed that while “20,000 to 50,000” people had been mobilised by “misleading and instigating” them, “those present were mostly unemployed puncture repairers and locksmiths.” He further said, “You know who the puncture repairers are. They were the ones present in large numbers, whereas actual students were few; I want to inform you of this fact.”
Bidhuri’s remarks sought to portray the largely student-led protest as one dominated by Muslims rather than genuine students, echoing a recurring attempt by BJP leaders and supporters to recast the anti-NEET movement in communal terms instead of engaging with its demands over alleged examination irregularities.
Bidhuri went on to make the communal insinuation more explicit. “Could a daughter or son of India speak in such a manner about Modi-ji or his family? It must have been the offspring or kin of those puncture repairers who were using such language regarding Modi-ji,” he said.
His remarks came in the context of a video posted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Instagram, Facebook and X on July 31. In the video, Modi claimed that during the Jantar Mantar protest, some “mischievous youths” had hurled abuses and profanities at him and his late mother. Calling the language used by some young women at the protest a “cultural shock”, the Prime Minister said such “misguided youths” should be shown the right path and forgiven.
By linking the alleged abuse of the Prime Minister to “puncture repairers”, Bidhuri appeared to suggest that those who raised the slogans belonged to the Muslim community, reinforcing the communal narrative surrounding the student-led protest.
‘Misguided Gen Z at the Jantar Mantar protest’
Speaking to the media, Bidhuri described the students who participated in the Jantar Mantar protest as “misguided Gen-Z.” He claimed they had been misled into joining the demonstration, saying, “These children — aged 15 or 16 –were brought there without being told the facts. While the sit-in was ostensibly about NEET, and photographs of deceased children were displayed to emotionally blackmail parents and others into attending, their actual demands did not include Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation or any specific measures regarding NEET.”
He further alleged that the protest had the backing of the Opposition and was intended to create unrest. “The Prime Minister accepted their demands to prevent the country from going astray and to ensure the agitation did not fall into the wrong hands. The protest was not held with the intent originally claimed; instead, with the opposition’s support, it was an attempt to create chaos in India,” he said.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.