Escalating its attack on the Centre over the issue of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s alleged suicide in Hyderabad University, Congress on Thursday demanded immediate sacking of HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. It is like the NDA is at war with the students of this country.
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“The HRD minister is the main culprit, and the fact is she along with the HRD ministry, the Vice Chancellor and ABVP activists with their anti-Dalit mindset orchestrated the circumstances that drove Rohith to suicide”.
Taking exception to disciplinary action taken by the university on five students of Ambedkar Students Association (ASA), including Rohit, he attributed the expulsion of students to Dattatreya who had put “pressure” on the Vice-Chancellor with his letters. He strongly condemned the “caste angle” given to Rohith Vemula’s death by Smriti Irani. Asked about Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s remarks calling for a rethink of the reservation policy, he said the problem is that RSS is not for dalits. She should apologise to the nation as she is playing caste politics, ” he said.
Referring to Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani’s conversation with Vemula’s mother, Surjewala said it came “days after the tragic suicide”.
Stating that “revocation” of suspension of the four expelled students was never their demand, workers of the Congress’ youth wing were stopped at Raisina Road here by the police when the protestors were on their way to the HRD minister’s residence and detained.
Lok Satta Party President Jaya Prakash Narayan, who also visited the campus, expressed his solidarity with the students by participating in the relay hunger strike.
“When such bright students have to commit suicide, it is a shame on the entire society”.
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Mr Kejriwal said discussing Ambedkar’s teachings cannot be casteist and nothing can be more national than forming a union in his name. The university faces the allegation of deliberately going tough on Vemula and four other Dalit students for allegedly getting into a skirmish with ABVP leader Susheel Kumar.
