Mother of Dalit scholar Rahith Vemula, who committed suicide on Hyderabad University campus in January 2016, has warned the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani that she was sending her children to the parliament primarily to question and haunt her.
Speaking at an event, organised to commemorate the second death anniversary of her son, Radhika Vemula reportedly said, “Smriti Irani, I won’t forgive you. You may change your ministry but I will never forget you. I’m sending my kids (Dalit-Bahujan) to Parliament, they will question you and haunt you.”
Dalit leader and the newly elected MLA from Gujarat, Jignesh Mevani, last week had urged Radhika to contest elections.
Taking to Twitter, Mevani had said, “I strongly appeal to our inspiration Radhika(amma)Vemula to contest in 2019 elections and teach a lesson to Manusmriti Irani in Parliament.”
I strongly appeal to our inspiration Radhika(amma)Vemula to contest in 2019 elections and teach a lesson to Manusmriti Irani in Parliament.
— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) January 18, 2018
Rohith had committed suicide on the campus after he along with four other Dalit students were suspended by the university administration. His suicide had caused huge national controversy with Dalit students blaming the local MP and a minister in Narendra Modi’s cabinet, Bandaru Dattatreya and Irani for pushing the Dalit scholar to end his life.
Jantakareporter.com had revealed how Irani, then the HRD Minister, through four of her letters to the VC, had pressurised the university administration to act against ‘anti-national’ elements because of their alleged crime of attacking a ABVP leader. ABVP is the student wing of the RSS.
Rohith and a few of his friends were camping outside the university campus after he and four other Dalit students were allegedly expelled from the university hostel after a tussle with students affiliated with, Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP.
