An Indian national, who is currently studying at the London School of Economics, has alleged that he was targeted and even called a ‘fascist’ during the campaign for this year’s student union polls.
Satyam Surana said people who targeted him could not digest the success of Indian PM Narendra Modi and the country.
“The people of the international community are not aware of what is going on in India. Every international person looks up to India and the current Prime Minister as a stalwart, legendary politician. Our Prime Minister has the highest approval rating in the entire world, we have shown what we can do during Covid, and we are emerging as the third-largest economy. But, sadly, these groups who can’t digest this fact are spreading not misinformation, but disinformation,” Satyam Surana told ANI.
Satyam Surana told the Indian news agency: “From March 14-15, we noticed that my posters were being ripped off, torn. We complained to the authorities. After we replaced our posters, on March 16, we saw that some posters were defaced. There were crosses on my face, it was written ‘anyone but Satyam’. I was cancelled out.”
He alleged that a very well planned campaign was launched against him ahead of the voting.
The Pune-based student had filed the nomination for the post of general secretary after elections at the London School of Economics were announced last month.
“On March 17 afternoon, there were messages in all groups of LSE. Indian groups, law school groups. The messages claimed, ‘This Satyam Surana is a BJP supporter, he is a fascist person, an Islamophobe, transphobe’. The messages were so seditious and contentious of the Indian government and the current establishment,” he told ANI.
He said his manifesto did not contain any political points.
“With my entire team, I went through the entire campus. We were reaching out across departments and explaining our policies. I had a very well-written and well-drafted manifesto, which was not at all political. It said how things need improvement at LSE, how there is a need for a grievance redressal portal, having subsidised food on campus. We were getting support and people were saying that they would vote for me,” Satyam said.
Satyan grabbd headlines last year after he defiantly picked up a Tricolour off the ground during an attack on the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom by suspected Khalistani supporters.