Gurmehar Kaur in Mumbai for Congress event, raises eyebrows

Gurmehar Kaur the Delhi student became a poster girl for antisaffron movement when she stoked controversy in 2017 during the Ramjas College riots With dissent key in the city today Kaur will take centre stage at an event called MeToo But Are You Listening where she will share the dais with Sushmita Dev president All India Mahila Congress and Priyanka Chaturvedi national spokesperson INCThe moderator of the event that takes place at 630 pm at Y B Chavan Nariman Point is Sanjay Jha national spokesperson Indian National Congress and President of the All India Professionals Congress An interview with Sanjay Jha on whether Gurmehar Kaur is being primed for the Congress partyWhy is the Congress featuring Gurmehar Kaur in this programmeThe Congress has recently launched the All India Professionals Congress AIPC to provide a vibrant platform to urban middleclass to participate in the political and policy process We discuss matters of national and local interest from fire safety norms in Mumbai air pollution in Delhi the rising threat of communal polarisation across the country to the disconcerting dilution of the RTI Act Over the last four years the rising incidence of crimes against women social media trolling poor gender equality are core issues in womens empowerment Gurmehar Kaur represents a remarkable symbol of a determined young Indian whose contribution to standing up for free speech and not getting intimidated by goons stands outSanjay JhaIs Gurmehar joining the Congress partyI have no idea about her political predilections if any The AIPC Interactive event will discuss MeToo and several other aspects that impact women in India currently It is a bipartisan dispassionate nonpolitical conversationGurmehar claims that if there was peace between India and Pakistan her father would still be alive mdash but she does not often point out that unlike what has been widely reported her father was not killed in Kargil He was killed in an Islamist attack while posted to defend the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimsIt is a deeply emotive subject for a girl who lost her father when she was still a child She was speaking against hate violence and divisiveness that fractures a society We all know that many innocent people die simply because they happen to be unfortunate victims of sinister revenge It is sad I am sure she will share her thoughts on this sensitive issue The fact that she was abused for speaking for peace is a commentary on the times we live in Kaur however insisted that her father was martyred in the Kargil warWhere has Gurmehar been all this while and is she the new antisaffron poster girl ndash after Umar Khalid and Shehla RashidI follow her on Twitter and I can see that she believes in a secular democracy She has addressed several gatherings and has written her book Small Acts of Freedom to express her thoughts She is now in the absence of better words a constructive social crusader It will be terribly unfair to bracket her on an ideological straitjacket although nothing stops her from believing in her ideology and values India needs more gutsy Gurmehar KaursI am not joining the CongressGurmehar Kaur said that she is not joining the Congress I still have a year to complete my college said the student Gurmehar added This is a book event and it is about a cause close to my heart which is empowerment I will go to an event of any political party that invites me if I believe in the party I will not go to a BJP event though because I have ideological differences with the party and am antisaffronCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates