Rahul Gandhi Ran 'Toxic Dukan': Sitharaman Asks Congress To Apologise For 'Politicising' Rohith Vemula Case

Telangana police filed a report before a court following a probe into Vemula's death, claiming that he was not a Dalit and died by suicide as he feared that his real identity would be discovered.

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should apologise for politicising the suicide of Rohith Vemula, the University of Hyderabad student who died in 2016, as police in a state ruled by his own party has now said that it was not a Dalit issue. 

Telangana police filed a closure report before a court following a probe into Vemula's death, claiming that he was not a Dalit and died by suicide as he feared that his real identity would be discovered.

While speaking to reporters in Pune, Sitharaman pointed out that the police report has been filed in a Congress-ruled state.

"The closure report says he had a wrong certificate of SC (Scheduled Caste), and he was not an SC. But, the family of Vemula was dragged and exhibited in the country when it was grieving. The Congress, by dragging the family of Vemula in the public, tried to politicise the issue. Look at the statements made by Rahul Gandhi then in Parliament that Vemula was pressurised", the Union minister said.

Rahul Gandhi Was Running 'Toxic Dukan': Sitharaman On Rohith Vemula Case

Sitharaman further took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said he should listen to the speeches he had made in the Lok Sabha then, and apologise to the country, the BJP leader said. "It was not a Dalit issue but (Gandhi) made it look like a Dalit issue. Now he is running 'Mohabbat ki Dukan', but back then he was running 'toxic dukan', and for that he should apologise", she added.

Addressing the role of higher education in achieving the vision of a developed India ("Viksit Bharat") at Deccan College, Nirmala Sitharaman criticised the University of Hyderabad for its handling of the Rohith Vemula case, stating that it was not dealt with sensitively.

Sitharaman said that a false narrative was constructed portraying the government as suppressive towards students and Scheduled Castes (SCs). She emphasised, "The wrong narrative came from vested interest groups, self-appointed left liberal group, self-appointed leader in the opposition, who says 'mohabbat ki dukan', she  said.He actually perpetrated this problem, spoke so badly in Parliament about his interpretation (of the incident)", as quoted by PTI.

She stressed the importance of conducting thorough research based on methodology and data, free from political bias, to avoid further distortion of the narrative.

Nirmala Sitharaman said that a problem that could have been resolved internally within the university was instead sensationalised and brought to the streets, resulting in baseless allegations against the education minister and the central government, given the university's status as a central institution.

"The intolerance, political interference and hate lay not with the government but the vested interest groups which do not lose an opportunity to bring this toxin into centres of higher education. We all respect the Dalit cause. The reservation given by the Constitution is affirmative support," she added, as per PTI.