Wary TRS, TDP mum on UoH

Hyderabad: Several academics from around the world have written an open letter to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad expressing their shock and anguish at the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula.

AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and several other leaders made a beeline to the UoH to express their solidarity with the agitating students. But the two major political parties in Telangana, TRS and TTDP, did not dare to visit the University.

In fact, the TTDP came out with a guarded statement by its working president A Revanth Reddy 24 hours after the suicide demanding action against the guilty but did not mention the name of Union Minister of State for Labour Bandaru Dattatreya, who has been in the eye of the storm ever since Rohith committed suicide.

Three days after the incident, TTDP leaders went to the house of Rohith, consoled his mother and offered an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh. According to senior party leaders, they deliberately stayed away from going to the University as they did not want to add to the
trouble.

They said it was a very sensitive issue and since TDP was an ally of BJP at Centre they felt that it could lead to avoidable trouble. But this does not mean that they do not sympathise with the family of Rohith, TTDP president L Ramana said.

In fact, the mood of the students of UoH is that they will not allow anyone who is an ally of BJP unless they severe their ties with the party. They made this fact clear when representatives of the Republican Party of India went to the UoH. Though they were allowed inside the campus, they were not allowed to address the students.

The TDP leaders say that another reason for their not going to UoH is that they were in the midst of campaign for GHMC elections and identifying themselves with one particular caste may have backlash on other sections of society. The TRS seems to be thinking on similar lines.

They also fear backlash from other communities. Secondly, members of Ambedkar Students Association in UoH consist of non-Telangana students. Another important reason, a senior party leader said was that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has a soft corner for Bandaru Dattatreya.

It may be recalled that the Union minister never misses a chance to attend any function organised by the State Government. Even during the GHMC campaign, the TRS does not criticise Dattatreya directly. However, it is interesting to note that the only protest which was a symbolic one was organised in front of the house of Dattatreya by the Telangana Jagruti wing led by Nizamabad MP K Kavitha. She was the only TRS leader who had criticised Dattatreya.