
BJP rewarding people responsible for Rohith Vemula's death: Dy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka
Addressing the media at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi, Vikramarka, joined by AICC Scheduled Castes Department chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam, condemned the recent appointment of N Ramchander Rao as the state BJP chief.
He alleged that Ramchander was among those who pressured university authorities leading to Rohith Vemula's suicide in 2016. 'Instead of doing some introspection, the BJP is elevating those who drove Rohith Vemula to suicide,' he said.
'Rohith Vemula Act soon'
Vikramarka further revealed that the Telangana government would soon introduce a 'Rohith Vemula Act' aimed at safeguarding students, especially those from Dalit and Adivasi communities, from discrimination in educational institutions.
He blamed the ABVP for inciting tensions on campus. 'When the Ambedkar Students Association was peacefully protesting for student rights, ABVP leader Susheel Kumar labelled them anti-national. The BJP leaders at the Centre, along with pressure from the then HRD Ministry and MLC N Ramchander Rao, influenced the university to suspend Rohith. Left with no choice, he took his life,' he claimed.
'Ramchander Rao has been made the state BJP president, and Susheel Kumar has been appointed as an assistant professor in Delhi University. What message is the BJP sending?' he wondered.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
To outshine AAP, how new BJP govt in Delhi has rolled out the red carpet for Kanwar Yatra
Grand gates, flower showers, financial assistance, and power subsidies. The Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi has ramped up efforts to make things smooth for devotees undertaking the Kanwar Yatra, known as kanwariyas, and outdo the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government. 'The government is fully prepared. As soon as we get the final list, the first instalment will be disbursed with a click of a button,' the CM said on Saturday after a review meeting with the Kanwar Seva Committee. While the CM said the government was also constructing grand welcome gates at the borders of Delhi to greet the kanwariyas, her government has already promised large-scale facilities for them. According to officials, the government has also made all preparations to welcome devotees with flower showers, set up medical tents, made provisions for clean drinking water, and set up barricades along the routes that the kanwariyas will take. In indications that the BJP government is going the extra mile, it has also promised Rs 10 lakh through direct benefit transfer to registered groups that will organise stays for the devotees and announced free electricity for Kanwar committees for up to 1,200 units. Moreover, district magistrates and district development committees have been pressed into service to oversee the arrangements, while Cabinet ministers, MLAs, and leaders will personally welcome kanwariyas by showering them with flowers upon their entry into the city. Gupta's team is also seemingly taking a leaf out of her 'favourite CM' Yogi Adityanath's book. The imagery of showering petals on kanawariyas, Cabinet ministers hitting the ground, and heightened religious optics are some of the aspects that the Delhi government has tried to inculcate from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The previous AAP government also had ensured arrangements in kanwar camps such as round-the-clock deployment of medical teams and electricity and water supply. Last year, the Delhi government also directed local dispensaries to remain attached to the camps and deputed district administrations to oversee arrangements. In her bid to outdo the AAP, Gupta has also held multiple meetings with the Kanwar Seva Committee. On Saturday, she targeted the previous AAP governments and claimed institutions had to wait for months for even basic facilities such as tents, while payments to them were delayed for several years. 'The previous (AAP) government only committed corruption in the name of providing facilities for kanwariyas… They spent crores of rupees and issued tenders to only a couple of people, but in reality, people on the ground did not receive any service,' she said. In response, the AAP accused the BJP of 'injecting dirty politics into the sacred tradition'. 'For the past 10-11 years, the AAP government systematically facilitated this tradition and supported kanwariyas, irrespective of their political affiliations. The same people managed the camps for 10 years, but now the BJP is playing dirty politics on the issue,' said Delhi AAP convenor Saurabh Bhardwaj. Gupta said that 374 applications had been received for setting up kanwar camps, most of which had been approved. 'The rest will also be cleared soon. The increased number of applications reflects the people's trust in our administration,' she said, adding that sanitation teams had been deployed round-the-clock to ensure cleanliness. According to Delhi government officials, more than 250 kanwar camps are likely to be set up across the city as against the 185 set up by the AAP government last year. On the other hand, the BJP is finding it difficult to implement what it has demanded year after year while in the Opposition: for instance, the closure of meat shops during the month of Sawan. While there is a lot of public positioning on the issue, no official notification has been issued yet. 'There is no order, but public sentiment needs to be respected,' Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said last week. Echoing his views a day later was Art and Culture Minister Kapil Mishra who declared that all meat shops — legal and illegal — located within 500 meters of routes that kanwariyas take would be shut down. Though Mishra claimed to be coordinating with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to implement the shutdown, he was left red-faced after the civic body backed out, citing no legal provision in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act to enforce the ban, though MCD Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh backed the minister's demand. Claiming that things 'were going smoothly as of now', a senior BJP leader said the government would act in the coming days if there was a need to close meat shops. 'Every year, meat shop owners voluntarily close their shops during the yatra as a mark of respect to the devotees. The district committee officials and police are monitoring the situation and requesting the shopowners to either cover or shut the shops,' the leader added.


New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
‘Marathi meinbolunya Hindi mein'
What's in a language? Lots, if we are talking about the linguistic fencing in Maharashtra over Marathi and Hindi. A day before eminent lawyer Ujjwal Nikam was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, PM Narendra Modi called him. He made an unusual request: Which language should he speak with the lawyer? Hindi or Marathi? Here is Nikam, in his own words, 'The PM called me in the morning and the first thing he asked was—'Marathi meinboluya Hindi mein'? And then he spoke with me in Marathi and switched to Hindi. First, I laughed, then requested him to speak in whichever language he prefers, as he knows both Hindi and Marathi.' B.L. Santhosh, BJP general secretary (organisation) termed this the 'perfect antidote'. He placed the PM's question in perspective: 'The PM by this gave a befitting slap to those who are creating a row and trouble in the name of the local language by allegedly targeting non-Marathi speaking people, as well as honoured the language of Maharashtra—Marathi—by speaking first in Marathi. That is called a political antidote against those who are fermenting animosity in the name of language.' One wife only: DoPT sets LTC rule Babudom just got its moment of comic relief, straight from the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). Its new circular aimed at clarifying Leave Travel Concession (LTC) rules for central government employees, declared: 'Not more than one wife' is eligible to avail the LTC facility. What! Yes, that line is now part of official government documentation. The circular defines who is 'family' to qualify for LTC benefits. It lists the ineligible categories before dropping the punchline. Guffaws echoed through the power corridors after reading it. Some wondered aloud if David Dhawan — of 'Biwi No. 1' fame — was on a secret sabbatical, moonlighting as a government typist. Humour aside, the DoPT insists the clarification was necessary. 'This department receives so many references, RTI applications, and grievances from employees across different offices regarding LTC rules,' the circular notes.


New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Caracal spotted in cheetahs' new abode
Caracal, the elusive and critically endangered 'flying cat', has recently been spotted at the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary of western Madhya Pradesh, which became the second habitat of African cheetahs in April 2025. Also known as 'syahghosh', the adult male caracal was seen in a camera trap installed in the Mandsaur forest division. The sighting of a shy, swift and generally nocturnal carnivorous animal is significant. Its presence shows that Gandhi Sagar's dry and semi-arid ecosystem is intact and balanced. The caracal is also described as a flying cat, for its impressive jumping ability to catch birds in their mid-air flight. Minister slams forest dept over 'lack of support' Kailash Vijayvargiya, a senior cabinet ministers of Madhya Pradesh, has publicly expressed unhappiness with the forest department. Addressing an event in Indore (graced by CM Mohan Yadav) recently, the local MLA and the state's urban development and housing minister, Vijayvargiya said the forest department wasn't cooperating with them in supplying saplings for the ambitious tree plantation exercise in Indore. 'We've planted seven lakh trees so far, and our target is to plant 51 lakh trees, but we're not receiving the expected support from the forest department. I request the CM to give proper instructions to the department before going abroad.' Protest outside BJP office over Sihora dist Residents of Sihora town recently staged a protest reiterating their long-standing demand for the establishment of a separate district, carved out from Jabalpur. The protest was held outside the ruling BJP divisional office in Sihora, with the people carrying placards that read, 'Who are Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uma Bharti, Late Babulal Gaur and Smriti Irani?' Amid the sounds of conch, bells and cymbals, the protestors recounted that prominent BJP leaders, including the three former chief ministers of MP and an ex-union minister, had promised to create Sihora a new district. However, these promises remain unfulfilled. Anuraag singh Our correspondent in Madhya Pradesh