After FTII, Rahul baba wades into another campus tussle

HYDERABAD: A high-pitched political slugfest over Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the University of Hyderabad marked the ‘Justice for Rohith’ campaign that took off in the wee hours of Saturday on the occasion of the 27th birthday of the UoH student who had committed suicide two weeks ago.
Rahul reached the campus way past midnight on Friday to express solidarity with the protesting students.In an attempt to thwart his plan, 15 ABVP members blocked Gandhi’s convoy raising slogans against him. During the day, 10 ABVP members tried to hold a counter-protest against Rahul’s visit, accusing him of “politicising” Rohith’s death. On both occasions, the ABVP workers were taken into preventive custody.
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Rahul sat on a day-long token hunger strike with Vemula’s friends and family, on whose request he said he had come to the university.
Addressing the students, Rahul compared Rohith’s life with that of Mahatma Gandhi. “Today is not just Rohith’s birthday but also Mahatma’s death anniversary. Gandhiji lived his life searching for what he called truth. Eventually, he was killed by the very forces that did not want him to say his truth loud and clear. It is exactly the same that has been done to Rohith,” said Rahul.
Rahul asserted how the ‘Dalit’ student did not represent just one community. “He is from different religions and there is a Rohith in every institute. My message goes out to every student in the country. You will one day find that the very same people who crushed Rohith will be blocking your path to freedom, to progress.”
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Strongly hitting out at BJP and RSS, he accused them of “trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea”.
While suggesting that PM Modi must “look into the possibility of passing a law that targets discrimination in universities”, Rahul said there was a link between caste-based discrimination and the ideas of ‘Make-In-India’ and ‘Startup India’. “If you have an India where discrimination is taking place, you will never be able to build a modern economy,” he said.
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