Centre criticises Rahul Gandhi for joining Hyderabad hunger strike

The Centre on Saturday criticised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for joining the mass hunger strike at the University of Hyderabad campus to express solidarity with hunger-striking students over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.

"The Congress, Communist and other parties are trying to make it a political issue forgetting that nine such incidents took place during the Congress regime, he never bothered to go there. Now, they are shedding crocodile tears to gain political mileage, polluting atmosphere of Universities" Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told ANI.

"This is a part of their anti-Modi campaign. All this is cheap politics," he added.

Naidu further said that the Government of India has constituted a commission of enquiry headed by a former judge of Allahabad High Court.

"Let the enquiry commission complete its job and let us know the truth behind the suicide, so that the preventive action can be taken for the future," he added.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also accused the Congress vice-president of attempting to make the University 'a shelter of caste politics'.

"Rahul Gandhi is trying to make the University campus a shelter of caste politics. But, this won't be successful. This is done for political mileage. It won't benefit him in anyway," he added.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today joined the mass hunger strike at the Hyderabad University campus to express solidarity with the students protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who would have turned 27 today.

The Hyderabad Central University (HCU) changed its interim vice-chancellor late Friday night, as Dr Vipin Srivastava went on leave just hours before Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reached the university.

Interim VC Vipin Srivastava went on a leave for four days and in his absence, M Periasamy, the next senior-most professor, will take charge.