Dalit scholar's suicide: NDA supports who support their vision, says Kharge

Expressing anguish over the suicide of a Dalit scholar from the University of Hyderabad, Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge on Tuesday said that the ruling regime only supported people who backed their vision.

"The suicide note that the student has written, he has raised his voice for the lower class concerns. It is clear that government is not concerned. The Government supports only those who support its vision. Without prove the Minister has said that the university is the ground for anti national activities is very wrong," Kharge told ANI here while condemning the incident.

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Kharge also said that if Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya's name was mentioned than he should take the responsibility for what he did.

Responding to Bharatiya Janata Party taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi's Hyderabad University visit, Kharge said that BJP always see things politically.

"BJP always see things politically they don't see things in the other way. He (Rahul Gandhi)has not gone there to do politics. The BJP always talks politics wherever Rahul ji is going somewhere. Congress has nothing to do with what BJP says," he added.

"They are doing politics themselves, as whatever Dalit students have been protesting, they did not get scholarship timely. The political wing of the student party has put down the Dalit students who were protesting. We will raise such issues when in the next parliament session," Kharge further added.

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A case was registered against Dattatreya following allegations that he wrote to the Union HRD Ministry seeking action against Rohit and four other research Scholars of the University for the alleged assault of an ABVP leader.

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One of the five dalit scholars, expelled from the University of Hyderabad 12 days ago, hanged himself to death on Sunday.

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25-year-old Rohith Vemula, who belonged to Guntur district of Amravati, was doing his PhD in science technology and society studies for the past two years, before the scholar allegedly got involved in a tiff between two student groups in August last year.

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The five researchers were supported by 10 other students' outfits on the campus including ASA, Students Federation of India, Dalit Students Union and National Students Association among others.

On Sunday, the students from each of the outfits had started relay hunger strike asking the university administration to take back the students all of whom hailed from backward socio-economic backgrounds.

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The students protested against Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya.

The students demanded the revoking of the suspension of the five Dalit research scholars. They also demanded Dattatreya's apology for interfering in University matters and branding the students of University of Hyderabad as casteists, anti-nationals and extremists.