Report says Kanhaiya Kumar flew in business class; triggers question on funding of his trips

April 26, 2016, NewsCrunch

Mid Day has reported that JNU president Kanhaiya Kumar flew out of Pune in business class last Sunday.

The Mumbai paper said it tried contacting him to get his version on the scufflethat had occurred earlier in the day inside a Jet plane.

After 9 pm, it managed to reach an All India Students Federation (AISF) leader, Vali Ullah Kahdri, who was travelling with Kanhaiya.

Kahdri reportedly told Mid Day that both of them were in a flight, but could not connect to Kanhaiya as he was in business class, while he himself was in economy.

A clipping of the report was shared widely on social media with disparaging comments, with many questioning how Kanhaiya Kumar, a sworn communist, could travel in business class.

The report is not an in-depth by-lined report, just a snippet.  As a matter of fact, there is no information to conclude if Kanhaiya Kumar, routinely travelled in business class, while his associates took economy.

There is some anecdotal information that on the Sunday morning Mumbai-Pune Jet flight, Kanhaiya Kumar was in the economy class. He was said to be in the middle seat when the altercation with Mansa Deka occurred.

The Mid Day report also amplified questions – that many are asking - on who is funding Kanhaiya Kumar’s trips around the nation. After his release from Tihar, the student leader  has visited several cities  addressing public gatherings.

He seems to have attended many of these on invitation and the hosts usually take care of these expenses. His trip to Pune had been organised by the Progressive Students Youth Action Committee (PSYAC).

Some of his trips have been organised by AISF itself – the party he belongs to. His visit to Hyderabad and Vijayawada, which happened soon after his release, was organised by AISF leaders.

These organisations may not be rich; but they would not be lacking in resources and connections as well. Pune Mayor Prashant Jagtap, himself, intervened to help PSYAC get Balgandharva Rangmandir auditorium, though it had been booked for some other function.

Getting flight tickets to Kanhaiya Kumar and team would be the last of their concern.