PM doesn't understand role of a father to feel for BHU students: Congress

Demanding a probe into the BHU violence by an all-party panel of senior MPs, the Congress on Tuesday in a personal dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he "doesn't understand the role of a father" to empathise with the problems of the protesting women at the university, "who were like his daughters".

The party also said the Vice Chancellor of BHU (Girish Chandra Tripathi) must be immediately removed from his post and termed the "Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao" scheme of the government as 'Beti Padhao aur Beti Pitwao (Teach the girls and beat them up).

"I don't know if there was Prime Minister's (Modi) programme in Varanasi, but its MP was present there. It is his duty.. The lathicharge on students and girls took place on September 24, which is also the Daughters' day.

"The manner in which the PM gets off his car to wave at the crowds when he is welcomed..Even when he goes to his party (BJP) office, he gets off his car and starts walking towards it..

"Had he once approached the protesting students walking, I am sure the girls of the country seeing their PM coming towards them, would have felt he is like their father.

"But he doesn't understand the role of a father..The MP did not want to play the role of a father..Therefore not coming forward as a father, he (Modi) ran away through the lanes of Varanasi. Had he not been the PM, I would have said he ran away like a bhagora (deserter)," said Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Raj Babbar. Modi is Lok Sabha MP from Varanasi.

Modi's route through the BHU gate, during his visit to the city last week, was changed as students were protesting there against eve teasing in the campus.

The Congress also said the preliminary report of the probe by the Commissioner of Varanasi in the BHU incident blamed the university administration.

"The report, which was sent to the chief secretary Rajiv Kumar, said BHU administration did not handle the complaint of the victims in the correct manner, nor did it bring the situation under control. That's why such a big incident happened," said Babbar.

"The three agencies which are responsible for the violence on the students at BHU are the university administration, Zila administration and police administration," he added.

Babbar said: "The manner in which the VC defended himself and gave false statements, it is very shameful.

Babbar said the VC said that the students were trying to damage the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya. "That's why police took action. This is an after-thought report. This was written after three days," he added.

"The VC also said that there was no lathicharge. There are videos which testifty the lathicharge. For the first time an FIR was lodged against 1,000 unknown students of a university," he added.

"The VC even told some people that 'if we pay attention to the complaint of one student, then how can we run the university'. Nothing can be a more insensitive statement," said Babbar.

"We demand that an all-party senior MPs committee should go there and probe the matter. It is not a small incident. After probing they should submit the report to the central government. The VC should be removed till the probe is on.

"The manner in which the Vice Chancellor told white lies, gave false statements, he should not be allowed to enter any other university," he added.

Babbar also said as long as the VC is there, the probe can't be impartial.

--IANS

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