New Delhi: Thousands of students from various universities across the country on Tuesday hit the streets of the capital demanding justice for Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and protesting the JNU row with Rahul Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joining them in slamming the Modi government against “crushing” voices of dissent.
In the second such protest in less than a week, the students marc-hed from central Delhi's Jhandewalan to Jantar Mantar where they held a rally which was addre-ssed by Rahul, Kejriwal, CPI’s D. Raja, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri, social activist Medha Patkar and mother of Rohith Vemula and all of them warned the NDA government against “messing” with young minds.
Mounting a fresh attack, Mr Rahul accused the Modi dispensation and the RSS of stifling voices of dissent of college and university students while Kejriwal accused those in power of “distributing certificates of patriotism”, alleging that “goondaism” has been unleashed to crush dissent.
Rahul said his party will fight for enactment of a law to protect them from “discrimination” and “suppression”.
“We need a law to ensure that students in colleges and universities do not face discrimination and their voice is not stifled,” Rahul said, lending support to the students.
The Congress Vice President also slammed the government for not including issues like Rohith's death and difficulties being faced by students of universities in the President's address to Parliament today.
Kejriwal, who came to rally an hour after Rahul left, said the Centre was at “war” with the students of the country and asked the Prime minister to “mend his ways”. Otherwise, he said, students will “teach him a lesson”.
“What happened that youth who had supported Modi have risen against him today? This government seems to be at war with students of the country.
“Now they have started distributing certificates of patriotism. They are distributing certificates as to who is a patriot and who is a traitor. They will beat anyone up, or rape anyone and justify it by saying that they were raising slogans against India.
“This goondaism won't be tolerated. For them the biggest patriot is Nathuram Godse and the biggest traitor is Kanhaiya. The biggest patriot is Adityanath and traitor Mahatma Gandhi. Biggest patriot Sadhvi Ritambhara and biggest traitor Aamir Khan. For them all these hoodlums are patriots,” he said.
Kejriwal said youth of the country will come down hard on Modi if he does not mend his ways.
“If Modiji does not mend his ways then very soon the youth and students will come together to teach him a lesson,” Kejriwal said, adding “I had said earlier, 'Modiji students se pange mat lena' (don't mess with students). Otherwise they will rock your government and you won't have a clue.”
Slamming the Centre for taking action against students for expressing dissent, he said everybody has the right to raise voice against anything which is wrong.
JNU den of sex, drugs: BJP MLA
A BJP MLA alleged that JNU is a hub of sex and drugs where over 3,000 used condoms and 2,000 liquor bottles are daily found.
Gyandev Ahuja, BJP MLA from Ramgarh in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, said, “Over 10,000 butts of cigarettes and 4,000 pieces of beedis are found daily in the JNU campus. 50,000 big and small pieces of bones are left by those eating non-vegetarian food.
They gorge on meat...these anti-nationals. 2,000 wrappers of chips and namkeen are found, as also 3,000 used condoms — the misdeeds they commit with our sisters and daughters there.”
Rohith foster granny dead
A 74-year-old woman, who is said to have raised the mother of dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, died in Guntur on Monday and the family claims it was because of the “tension” created by the probe into the student’s death.
This is the “second blow” for the family, Rohith’s younger brother Raja said on the death of Anjani Devi. “The person who raised us is no more. She was a heart patient and had undergone a bypass surgery.
She was questioned for five-six hours a day (after the death of Rohith) by local officials. And due to this tension, she died,” said Raja, who had his mother by his side.
