Congress vice president said Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday went on a day-long fast at Hyderabad Central University backing protesting students on the Dalit scholar suicide issue and accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing ‘one idea from the top’.
Drawing parallel between Rohith’s suicide and Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, he said, “What has happened here is exactly what was done to Gandhiji.”
"Gandhiji was killed by the same forces which did not allow him to speak the truth he wanted to say. It is exactly the same thing that has happened to Rohith...they did not want him to speak the truth that he saw in this institution," he said.
Insisting that the incident is not related to one individual or any one particular community, Rahul told the students, “You will find one day that the same people who crushed Rohith will be blocking your path to freedom and progress.”
“My message to every single student of this country is -- when you let what happened to Rohith happen, it will happen to you one day,” he said.
Rahul first joined agitating students in a candle light vigil past midnight to mark the birthday of Rohith, who would have turned 27 on Saturday, and later went on a nearly nine-hour fast with them.
“Do not force your idea on these students. Give them their dignity and respect. I want to say without any animosity and with respect -- Modiji, if you want India to progress, you have to unleash the power of these students. If they are feeling discriminated in their universities and their colleges, you will not be able to unleash the power of these students,” he said.
Rahul also advocated that a law be enacted to end massive discrimination in our universities.
“It is time for India to have a law that targets such discrimination in all universities and institutions,” he said asking the PM to look into the possibility of passing such a law.
Rahul, who is visiting the campus for the second time in as many weeks, tweeted, ‘I am here today at the request of Rohith’s friends and family, to stand with them in their fight for justice.’
‘A young life full of dreams and aspirations was cut short. We owe it to him, to the memory of (Mahatma) Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice,’ he said in another tweet.
Rohith’s mother Radhika and brother Raju were also present at the protest site.
Meanwhile in Delhi, three Union ministers accused Congress of shedding ‘crocodile tears’ over the suicide issue and attacked Rahul for using students as a ‘political tool’.
Rahul, who arrived in the university at 12.10 am, spoke to the agitating students and lit candles before Rohith’s picture.
“We owe it to him (Rohith), to the memory of Gandhiji and to every single Indian student who dreams of an India free from prejudice and injustice,” he said.
“If you are in India where discrimination is taking place, where people are being crushed because of where they come from, who they are, what religion they belong to, you will never be able to build a modern economy. It is a fantasy,” he said.
He said that the idea of ‘Make in India’ has to be interlinked to issues like discrimination. “These are not separate ideas,” he said.
Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said nine cases of Dalit student suicides had taken place in the campus during the United Progressive Alliance rule but Rahul never bothered to go there.
“Congress is shedding crocodile tears simply to gain political mileage... This is part of their anti-Modi campaign across the country,” he told reporters.
Also, attacking Rahul, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “Exams are nearing in Hyderabad (university). All the students are busy with studies. The government has (already) announced judicial probe into the matter. Peace has been restored there. (In such times), Rahul Gandhi ji is politicising the issue.”
Rural Development Minister Birender Singh also took potshots at Rahul, saying ‘the party which has been reduced to 44 MPs from 206 MPs in Lok Sabha is politicizing every issue’.
As students raised slogans against Union Human Resource and Development Minister Smriti Irani and Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Bandaru Dattatreya, Rahul intervened and politely told them not to shout ‘murdabad’. “Let us not say ‘murdabad’ to somebody,” he said.
Hitting back at the BJP, the Congress accused it of failing to initiate action against its leaders including Union ministers for the suicide of the Dalit scholar.
“Who has resorted to politics in the matter? It is the BJP. Union minister Dattatreya wrote to HRD minister Irani against the Dalit students following complaint from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad president. The HRD minister wrote as many as five letters to the University,” senior party spokesman Ajay Maken said.
Activists of the ABVP protested against Rahul’s visit even as it called for a bandh in Telangana colleges.
Velpula Sunkanna, one of the research scholars whose suspension was revoked recently, said Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile should be removed from the post.
“On January 17, we have filed SC/ST Atrocities case against Appa Rao and (five) others. These six people should be arrested immediately. That’s the only demand,” Sunkanna, who is on an indefinite fast along with Vijay Kumar (another scholar whose suspension was revoked), said.
Vemula was found hanging in the varsity's hostel room on January 17.
The Congress vice president had earlier visited the university on January 19 following the suicide by the Dalit scholar and met the agitating students and the family members of Vemula.
Stating that there was discrimination against many different types of people, including Dalits, Tribals and women, Rahul said it was time India took action to curb this discrimination in universities and colleges.
"I would like to give a suggestion to Prime Minister Narendra Modiji...you have to unleash the power to all these students. In order to make this country powerful, look into the possibility of passing a law to stop discrimination at universities," he said.
Recalling his talk with a Japanese co-passenger on a plane, Rahul said the latter had told him that since there was caste system present in Indian factories as well, the amount of innovation that industry from his country comes out with, cannot be found in India.
“What is going on in this university between this discrimination and the idea of ‘Make in India’ and the idea of ‘Connecting India’ and the idea of ‘Start-up India’. These are not separate ideas, they are the same ideas. If you are in India, where discrimination is taking place, where people are being crushed because of where they come from, who they are and what religion they come from...you will never, ever be able to build a modern economy. It is a fantasy,” he said.
“They might come from different religions...different communities and states, but nobody here is an anti-national. So, when you think and call somebody an anti-national, you are not only doing disservice to him, but also to me and everybody here because you might not believe all of us want to make this country strong. We are all Indians and we don’t like this division being created and we are interested in making this country progress,” Rahul said.
Maintaining that the Dalit scholar’s was not an isolated case and there was discrimination in other universities as well, he said, “Rohith is there in every single institution in this country. Rohith is from different religion, different community. What has happened to Rohith, it will happen to you in this country, no matter who you are.”
On his second visit to HCU today, Rahul was not accompanied by party leaders, unlike his first visit on January 19, when there were state Congress leaders with him.
A large group of students also undertook a hunger strike, along with Rahul, whose latest move was seen as a fresh offensive to turn the heat on the BJP.
Rahul’s hunger strike came a day after HCU’s in-charge vice chancellor Vipin Srivastava proceeded on leave, six days after being given the responsibility after VC Appa Rao Podile went on indefinite leave. The next senior-most professor Dr M Pariasamy was given the charge.
Meanwhile, shouting slogans, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parshiad members protested against Rahul’s visit to the campus even as it called for a bandh in Telangana colleges.
Gachibowli police station inspector J Ramesh Kumar said 24 ABVP activists were ‘dispersed’. “They were not detained. They were identified and dispersed from there.”
The BJP’s student wing called for a bandh of colleges in Telangana in protest against ‘politics over dead bodies’ by Rahul in the HCU.
“The ABVP strongly opposes the politicisation being done by Rahul Gandhi in CentralUniversity at a time when peaceful atmosphere is returning in the university,” ABVP national executive member Kadiam Raju said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the protest venue at HCU, Rohith’s mother Radhika thanked ‘all those who have come from different places’ to express solidarity.
Stating that she raised her children by working as a labourer, she thought that Rohith would become an Indian Administrative Services officer.
“Rohith told me that he would get a job soon. I admitted him in this university for that purpose. But the university gave me his dead body. No other student should suffer like this,” she said.
She called for a special act to ensure legislative protection for students from marginalized communities in higher educational institutions. “Let’s fight together,” Radhika said.
