Smriti Irani: Opposition playing politics over Rohith Vemula

Angry exchanges were seen between Irani and Mayawati, as BSP members once again raised slogans demanding justice for Vemula’s family.

The government offered to suspend all business and take up the scheduled discussion immediately, but the BSP did not relent and continued to shout slogans against Ms Irani and the Modi government.

Irani, who was ballistic in the Lok Sabha yesterday, was comparatively mellowed down in the Rajya Sabha today as she replied to questions raised on her performance as also that of the HRD ministry under her.

It was known that the opposition would use Rohith Vemula’s suicide and JNU sedition case to attack the government.

Shouting slogans, her party members trooped into the well of the House, forcing repeated adjournments.

She read a statement posted on October 4, 2014 by the SC, ST and minority students of JNU, which said “Durga Puja is the most controversial racial festival, where a fair-skinned attractive goddess Durga is depicted brutally killing a dark-skinned native called Mahishasur”.

When reminded by a member that her seniors in the House on both sides had advised her against doing so, the minister said she didn’t want lessons from a man on how she should conduct herself.

“At least I expect you (the opposition) to be with us on this”, he said.

Lambasting the government, Scindia attacked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram and Irani for emphasising that Vemula was not a Dalit.

The students marched from Ambedkar Bhawan in central Delhi’s Jandewalan to Jantar Mantar, the capital’s protest hotspot, where they were first joined by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and then by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Rohith, a 26-year-old research scholar, was found hanging at the Hyderabad Central University last month.

On his part, Ramdas Athavale of RPI (A) said Vemula’s suicide is a serious issue and action needs to be taken against the perpetrators.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the Congress’ Ghulam Nabi Azad, asked the Centre to slap sedition charges instead on a television channel that has been accused of doctoring footage relating to the JNU sedition case.

Ramdas Athavale of RPI (A) said Vemula’s suicide is a serious issue and action needs to be taken against the perpetrators.

“It’s an effort to replace secular India with a Hindu nation”, he said.

A visibly upset Ansari, who went the extra mile to hold an all-party meeting days before start of the session to ensure smooth functioning, said, “Disruption of House is the violation of the privilege of individual members of the House”. “What can I do?” he said.

“Answer me, was Afzal Guru a terrorist?”

BJP’s Bhupendra Yadav said that what has been happening in the JNU is not “freedom of expression” but “expression of freedom from India”, referring to campus events where students allegedly voiced support for Kashmiri separatists.