Rajnath Singh takes off from where Smriti Irani left the discussion off.
Members of the House listen to his speech. Congress leaders walked out of the House so there is not much opposition.
Student life is very revolutionary. Every student has freedom to express themselves but there is a line that should not be crossed.Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister
If the police have charged someone with sedition, the court will look into it. If it is fair, the court will punish them and if not, the charges will be quashed.
“I want to assure the House that no innocent student will be punished,” says Rajnath Singh congratulating Smriti Irani for her speech.
‘Help Me Help the Students’
Smriti Irani says, “I wish Congress leaders were in the House today. I would’ve told them that even Indira Gandhi had lost power. But her son never sided with those who indulged in anti-India slogans”.
I try to do justice to these students every day. If we all try, we can certainly move away from the deplorable situation where a child’s death is being used as a political tool.
I urge you to come discuss all challenges in the education sector with me. I have myself asked for Dalit teachers, as mentioned by some members today. My request is to come help me build that nation.Smriti Irani, Union HRD Minister
The Congress leaders had walked out of the House amid ruckus midway through Irani’s speech.
Irani takes another step forward in her attack on the Congress.
“What should we teach school teachers, I wondered? And I looked at a copy of this history book.”
Irani reads out lines from history books that border on an anti-India sentiment in Kashmir. She says it’s not surprising that when our children go to colleges, they say, “the fight will continue till Kashmir is free”.
“Rahul Gandhi had said in the past that all V-Cs belong to the RSS. I challenge them to find one person who says that they have indulged in “saffronisation”, I will quit politics,” Smriti Irani said.
Smriti Irani’s Version of the JNU Row
The HRD minister also addresses the controversy surrounding the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. She reads out some of the anti-India slogans that were raised inside the varsity campus during the Afzal Guru event.
Smriti Irani reads out the names of students, named by the JNU faculty in the probe report. The names include JNU Students’ Union Kanhaiya Kumar, Anirban Bhattacharya, Umar Khaled among others.
Irani says the report was prepared by faculty members who worked with heads of the varsity, appointed by the previous UPA government.
The HRD minister reads out another pamphlet by another group of students slamming goddess Durga in support of Mahishasur. Irani says, “May be they are students and they should be forgiven. But what is this depravity? Where does it come from?”
Smriti Irani Gets Emotional Discussing Rohith Vemula
HRD Minister Smriti Irani gets emotional in Lok Sabha explaining her stand on the Rohith Vemula issue.
Talking about being cornered by the Congress, she said, “ I will not apologise for doing my duty. If you have the courage, you should listen to my answer today”.
The minister also said that she is being targeted for fighting the Lok Sabha election in 2014 against Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
Amid ruckus by Congress leaders, Venkaiah Naidu tells Speaker Sumitra Mahajan that as a mother, Irani feels for the student.
Smriti Irani gets emotional. She says,
I am taking it personally madam (Speaker). You are accusing me of discrimination. But I have always spoken of a student, not a Dalit.
“Rohith Vemula’s body was hidden so that it can be used as a political tool,” says Smriti Irani.
Smriti Irani hits out at Rahul Gandhi too. She says, “Has Rahul Gandhi ever visited a place twice in his career? Never. But here, he saw a political opportunity. So he went there”.