Human Resources Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday refuted allegations of interference by her Ministry to seek action against five students of Hyderabad Central University, saying “there has been a malicious attempt to ignite passions and present this as a caste battle, which it is not”.
Irani’s ministry had written five letters to the University asking for an update in connection with letters by Labour Minister (Independent charge) Bandaru Dattatreya seeking action against the five students.
Addressing a press conference here in an attempt to fire-fight mounting attacks by the Opposition, she said Congress MP Hanumantha Rao, too, had written a letter on November 17, 2014, where he had talked about suicides by students from marginalised communities for over four years and wanted a probe. “We sent six reminders to the University for Rao’s letter,” she said.
Accompanied by Cabinet colleagues Nirmala Sitharaman and Thawar Chand Gehlot, the HRD Minister, who has sent a fact-finding team to Hyderabad, said: “We have ascertained and we express today publicly that this is not a Dalit versus non-Dalit confrontation.” The two-member fact finding team is expected to present its finding to the Ministry soon, she added.