Liar, blatant liar: Smriti Irani faces anger of Vemula’s mother, JNU students

We had reported how Hyderabad Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula’s friend had called Irani’s statements in the parliament a ‘blatant lie’.

Rajshree has said that she reached the spot within five to seven minutes after being informed of the suicide. On Friday, Irani said it was incorrect to say there is no member of Dalit community in the inquiry committee constituted to probe Vemula’s suicide.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said if celebrating Mahishasura is wrong, then so is Kerala’s popular festival Onam, which marks the homecoming of King Mahabali, an asura (demon) conned by Lord Vishnu into relinquishing his kingdom. “It is these ministers and the BJP whose political interference and the casteist attitude of the VC and other complicit administrators that led to the politicisation and death of Rohith, ” the students said.

Mayawati went as far as to ask if Irani would keep her word on beheading herself since she had failed to include a Dalit member in the judicial commission probing Vemula’s death.

She said she had been ‘ rightly ‘ advised by someone to be calm.

The debate surrounding the suicide of Hyderabad Central University (HCU) student Rohith Vemula does not seem to have died down in the Parliament.

Some students took her to the room where Vemula was found hanging.

Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday kicked up a controversy by citing “Mahishasur Martyrdom Day and Goddess Durga’to support government action against alleged anti-national” activities in the JNU campus. In an emotionally charged speech saying that she took the allegations against her personally, Irani constantly referred to 28-year-old research scholar Vemula as a “child” and made several claims about how the events in UoH unfolded. No police was allowed till 6.30 a.m. the following morning. Wasnik said that it was believed that the HRD Minister would try to “heal” Rohith’s family but instead Irani has rubbed salt on their wounds.

“But this would require the MP to show that something is a fact, show that the minister knew that to be a fact, and show that the minister deliberately misled Parliament”, K.V. Dhananjay, a Supreme Court advocate, said. “Both Vemula’s mother and grandmother had deposed in front of the magistrate, and the matter is still under investigation, and a report is due to be submitted in March”, said Prashanth. You said that he is not a Dalit.

The activists also held up banners and placards with messages such as “Stop Insulting Rohith” and vowed to continue with protests until Irani “resigns”.

Can a minister or a member of the parliament read out from a document whose veracity is yet to be ascertained?

At the press conference, Rohith’s fellow researchers took on the HRD minister point by point.