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Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on Friday joined the ongoing student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, describing the movement as a "historic" one. He expressed hope that dialogue with the government would lead to a positive outcome.
"This is a historic moment. We too are here. We thought that we should make ourselves a part of this history," Aiyar told reporters here. Referring to the meeting of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) delegation, the veteran leader welcomed the talks and said he hoped they would yield results. "I am happy that dialogues are happening. I hope there will be a positive result. Otherwise, the demonstration will continue," he said. Aiyar said he had come to "learn" from the students and praised them for standing up against fear. Speaking to ANI later, the Congress leader said, "I am here to learn. The students are teaching us to be fearless. We used to be scared of Modi and Shah." Referring to incarcerated scholars Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, Aiyar said that the government had failed to prove its case against them in court. He also admitted that he had been hesitant to speak out in the past. "We saw Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam. They are still in jail, and the government has failed to prove the case before the court. I tried to raise my voice then, but I was scared. You are fearless, and the country should be fearless," he said. Taking the example of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Aiyar said, "Nehru wrote in his autobiography that what Mahatma Gandhi taught us was to be fearless. You have assured us that we will have to stand against dictatorship." Suneet Mani Aiyar, wife of the veteran Congress leader, also accompanied him to the Jantar Mantar protest. She condemned the police action against protesting students and called for peaceful dialogue. "There should be no stone-pelting, whether it involves children, students, workers, farmers or anyone else. There should be no violence. This is a peaceful demonstration. We are here to hear the voice of the people and add our voice to it," Aiyar said. Welcoming the talks between the CJP members and Union Ministers, she added, "It is good to talk. Issues can be resolved through dialogue, not through stones or lathis." (ANI)
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