New Delhi: Amid the ongoing brawl at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) over the violence that erupted earlier this week, veteran leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday joined the chorus with agitation students and demanded ouster of Vice Chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar.

However, Joshi sought removal of JNU VC for failing to implement the Ministry’s proposal to settle the fee increase issue.

“There are reports that the Ministry had twice advised the Vice-Chancellor to implement certain reasonable and working formula for resolving the issue of enhanced fees... He was also advised to reach out to the teachers and the students. It is shocking that the Vice-Chancellor is adamant in not implementing the proposal. This attitude is deplorable and, in my opinion, such a Vice-Chancellor should not be allowed to continue,” Dr. Joshi wrote on his Twitter handle.


Upping the ante on the controversial JNU V-C whose tenure has been marked by protests, Joshi added, "This attitude is deplorable and in my opinion such a V-C should not be allowed to continue in his post."

The statement is significant as Joshi is probably the first BJP leader who has joined the chorus for Kumar's ouster. This demand, interestingly, comes soon after several JNU students were detained by Delhi police as they marched towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan demanding removal of the VC over the recent violence.

Hundreds of demonstrators, including students and members of civil society organisations, hit the streets on Thursday protesting the recent violence at JNU and demanding resignation of the varsity vice-chancellor.

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However, the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry denied students' demand saying sacking him is not the solution, but addressing the core issues on the matter is important.

Ever since JNU hiked its fees, the campus has witnessed many protests which spilled onto the streets. With the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act coming into place, the ongoing protests were further emboldened.

But last Sunday's violence inside the campus by unidentified miscreants and the V-C's alleged delay in calling the police has now prompted the students to demand his resignation. With a BJP leader of Joshi's stature joining the chorus, Kumar is surely going to feel the heat.

(With inputs from agencies)