Senior Congress leader PL Punia on Sunday attacked the NDA government over the violence in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) over the last few days.
"The HRD ministry is responsible for this violent incident in BHU, along with the entire BHU administration which failed to control the worsening situation in the university campus," Punia said.
In an apparent attack at HRD Minister Smriti Irani, he said, "Those who didn't appoint the Vice Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for the last two months after the former VC's term ended, are responsible for the violence." Referring to the students' demand for holding of students' union election, over which protests were held leading to clashes with police, Punia said Congress had favoured it when it was in power in the previous government.
"There is a recommendation of Lyngdoh committee to hold students union election but BHU violated this by not holding the students union election and instead going ahead with a students council elections.
"Congress party in its previous regime has already clarified that it was in favour of holding a students union election in BHU, the same way as elections are held in other central universities," he said.
"Even (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhi during his visit here assured students on this issue," he said.
"I will take this issue to the HRD ministry and press for the demand that the students union election must be conducted as early as possible. Congress on Sunday made a strong plea to President Pranab Mukherjee to intervene in the affairs of BHU to ensure immediate students union elections.
The demand came a day after three dozen students were arrested by Uttar Pradesh police, and at least five hostels of the BHU had to be vacated after violence broke out in the sprawling campus on Thursday over the demand to hold students' union elections.
Punia, who is also the Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Caste, met BHU students in jail and those who were injured in the violence, at BHU hospital, and called for an unbiased probe to punish the guilty. The district administration should also ensure that innocent people are not harassed, he said.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Clean India Campaign, Punia said if people really associate themselves with this campaign then it is appreciable, but a drama of holding broom for photoshoots must be stopped. He said this campaign should also lead to cleaning "communalism" from the minds of some people, and they should also have clean and fresh thinking.
When asked about Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's remarks that Sonia Gandhi was afraid, Punia said the Congress president is a fearless leader and this can be judged from her works. He alleged that BJP was trying to communalise the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir by raising the issue of Article 370 again and again.
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