Jadavpur University Students Use Ex-PM Vajpayee’s Remarks To Justify ‘Free Palestine’ Slogan

Students at Jadavpur University on Thursday put up a poster featuring former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s remarks supporting Palestinian rights, a day after graffiti across the campus was whitewashed.

The poster, placed in the university’s Green Zone, quoted Vajpayee as saying: “Israel must return the lands of Arabs it has occupied. The lawful rights of the Palestinians must be established.”

Vajpayee made the statement at a public meeting in Delhi in 1977, shortly after becoming External Affairs Minister in the Janata Party government. The poster was credited to the “nationalist students of Jadavpur University” and carried a QR code linking to his speech.

Its appearance followed West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s directive to remove graffiti he had described as “anti-national”, including messages supporting freedom for Palestine and Kashmir and slogans targeting fascists, The Hindu reported.

Graffiti Returns After Whitewashing

Following Adhikari’s August 26 directive, the university administration removed graffiti from Aurobindo Bhaban, the Arts Hostel, the Open-Air Theatre and other areas. Students later repainted the walls, describing the action as an attempt to reclaim campus spaces.

Among the restored messages was a quotation attributed to Karl Marx: “We have no compassion, and we ask no compassion from you. When our turn comes, we shall not make excuses for the terror.”

Around 12.30 am on Tuesday, police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials again whitewashed the walls. The exercise also erased a portrait of artist Chittaprosad Bhattacharya, climate-related artwork, Urdu couplets and quotations attributed to Ho Chi Minh.

By Thursday, several messages had returned. These included satirical graffiti referring to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the RSS, alongside slogans targeting Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The ABVP countered by putting up posters featuring Rabindranath Tagore, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Adhikari, addressing an RSS-affiliated organisation in Kolkata, again criticised the campus slogans.

“You will write ‘Free Palestine’ on the walls of Jadavpur? Write ‘Free PoK’. I will support it,” he said, while questioning slogans demanding freedom for Kashmir.

Rival Groups Stage Protests

The graffiti dispute unfolded alongside rival demonstrations by Left-wing student groups and the ABVP.

Left organisations protested against the participation of BJP leaders Rahul Sinha, Swapan Dasgupta and Tapas Roy, along with Jadavpur MLA Sarbori Mukherjee, at a “Nationalist Conference” held on campus. Their protest came days after clashes between ABVP and Left supporters.

SFI general secretary Srijan Bhattacharya alleged that Mukherjee had facilitated the entry of outsiders. “Ms. Mukherjee sent outsiders inside the campus who vandalised the university and set fire to the main building late at night. Why was she invited?” he asked.

Bhattacharya also challenged the chief minister’s description of the graffiti. “CM cannot decide which one of them is nationalist and anti-nationalist,” he said, demanding students’ union elections to allow the campus community to express its views through voting.

ABVP supporters separately marched through the university carrying the national flag and chanting “Vande Mataram”. They accused Left groups of promoting an anti-national outlook and suppressing opposing political voices.