Hyderabad: With GHMC elections round the corner, the sensational research scholar suicide in the Central University here has come as a godsend to politicians of many hues, and several leaders are out to fish in troubled waters or add fuel to the fire.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti government was quick to file an FIR, putting the blame for the suicide on Union minister and city MP Bandaru Dattreya, some other BJP leaders and the Vice-Chancellor.
TRS leader K Kavita criticised Bandaru Dattatreya for writing a letter to Union HRD minister Smriti Irani, in which he had cited cases of indiscipline and extremist influence in the university.
Kavita’s Telangana Jagruti staged a protest outside the residence of Dattatreya Tuesday, demanding his resignation.
Congress local leaders brought party’s national vice-president Rahul Gandhi to the campus, all the way from Delhi.
ABVP leader A. Giri Prasad said these politicians were trying to take advantage of the situation so as to win votes in the forthcoming GHMC polls.
A senior intelligence official here said, “Definitely there are attempts to politicise the issue. But, the BJP does not have a Dalit vote bank here. So it will not affect them. Congress, which has no hopes to win the civic polls, is still making a try.”
YSRC is not contesting the polls, but as the deceased Rohith hails from its stronghold in Guntur, party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the house of Rohit in Uppal and consoled the family.
All Dalits are not amused by the sudden support for them, though.
Some of the online posts by dalits are questioning as to where these leaders were, all along.
Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao put the blame on University VC Appa Rao Podile. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted PM Modi and demanded an apology from him.
A delegation of Trinamool Congress led by party MP Derek O’Brien visited HCU on Tuesday evening.
BJP may not act on its only MP in TS
Though an FIR has been lodged against Union minister of state for labour Bandaru Dattatreya and a strong demand raised among students and the Opposition parties to sack him over the dalit scholar suicide, the Centre is unlikely to take any action.
The BJP also rejected outright the demand for the resignation of its sole representative in Parliament from TS and one of its prominent OBC faces.
The BJP feels there is no link between Rohith’s suicide and HCU’s action against him and other students on a complaint against them.
As the issue snowballed into a major political furore and the BJP’s rivals demanded the sacking of Mr Dattatreya and HRD minister Smriti Irani, the BJP feels any action against its leaders would only give credit to the Opposition’s charge that it was “anti-dalit”.
The Union home ministry Tuesday sought a report from the Telangana government on the alleged suicide, which it hopes to get by Wednesday.
The MHA is keeping a close eye on the situation and is in touch with state officials to foil any law and order disruption or violence in the state.
Defending Mr Dattatreya and HRD minister Smriti Irani, the BJP said the former had merely forwarded a complaint about the alleged anti-national activities of some students on campus to the HRD minister, who in turn referred it to the institution for appropriate action.
