An emotionally charged-up Smriti Irani on Wednesday attacked the Congress and other opposition members for casting aspersions on the Bharatiya Janata party-led government over allegations of saffronisation. The 45-minute long speech where the Union Minister for Human Resource Development thundered in Lok Sabha, was nothing short of theatrics.
While the HRD Ministry is being accused of playing a role in the events leading up to the suicide of PhD student Rohith Vemula at the Hyderabad Central University, Smriti stoutly defended herself and presented her arguments in the House. Irani claimed that she was not wrong in writing letters to the University, and vehemently denied any possibility of her apologising for "fulfilling her duty."
The opposition MPs walked out of the Lok Sabha when during her full-blown speech, she claimed that the MPs who accuse her of writing letters are the same who "send letters to me requesting help in school admissions.
She also blasted the Congress for playing politics over the issue of Rohith's suicide. Accusing Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi of politicising the case, she said, "600 students died for the Telangana movement, but did Rahul Gandhi go to meet them? In this case, however, he went twice because he saw a political opportunity."
She claimed that Rohith did not get any medical help till 6:30 am and his body was used a political tool. Absolving the BJP of having any hand in his death, Smriti said that the University council that suspended Rohith was appointed by the UPA not by the NDA.
Also under the attack for the treatment meted out to Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others, Smriti said the students had been found indulging in anti-national activities by the JNU authorities and not by the Central government.
Citing documents, she said, report by JNU's security people observed that some students were indulging in anti-national sloganeering even though the students had sought permission to hold a "poetry" event. Those involved in the programme which include Umar Khalid, Kanhaiya Kumar and others, she said, were suspended by the JNU authorities though they were allowed to stay on the campus till completion of the inquiry.
During last 20 months as Minister, Irani said she tried to do justice to students by trying to address their complaints without asking for their "caste or religion".
Rejecting the charge of saffronising education, she said, she would quit politics if it was established she made any attempt to do so. Most of the vice chancellors are Congress appointees, Irani said, adding she had asked them to listen to the students who come from different backgrounds and address their issues.
"Help me build the nation, not destroy it from within. I respect your patriotism, don't demean mine. I have my idea of India, don't demean it. I will live and die for the country. Even our ashes immersed in Ganga will roar with the echoes of 'I love India'," she said.
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