Face-off again between Smriti Irani and Mayawati in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha on Friday saw a face off once again between Smriti Irani and Mayawati, with the BSP leader saying she was not convinced by HRD Minister’s statement with regard to Rohith Vemula's suicide. The issue related to the suicide by Vemula, a Dalit student of Hyderabad University, also led to a clash between Irani and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury.

Mayawati, who has been demanding inclusion of a Dalit in the panel probing Vemula’s death, slammed the government for appointing a one-man judicial Commission of former Allahabad High Court judge Ashok Kumar Roopanwal. “To my question whether a Dalit member is part of the Commission, the government has not answered this so far. On February 24, I had asked this question and it has not been answered so far. Justice Roopanwal is from the upper caste. Government’s intention is dubious on this,” she said.

She said government’s intentions are now clear and it is trying to save the accused “who are from the RSS”.

Yechury also took on Irani for quoting certain FB posts purportedly written by Vemula which were critical of the CPM leader and accused her of making “all foul fair”.