Stop ‘shedding crocodile tears’, fix accountability: Congress to PM

New Delhi : Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA Government of creating the situation which led to tension, agitation and suicide of a scholar at Hyderabad University, the Congress Party on Sunday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi fails to discharge his constitutional duties and sheds crocodile tears whenever he gets an opportunity.

“The Prime Minister chooses to speak on every subject and uses the opportunity like he had in Lucknow at the Ambedkar University to shed crocodile tears, but has failed to discharge his constitutional duties and his moral obligations when it comes to fixing accountability,” said Congress leader Anand Sharma.

“After making the pretend of sympathising with the mother and the family of deceased Rohith Vemula, Prime Minister Modi has chosen to remain silence when it comes to fixing accountability of his true colleagues in the government – HRD Minister Smriti Irani and (Minister of State for Labour) Bandaru Dattatreya,” said Sharma, who is deputy leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha.

“Besides, the vice-chancellor has not been acted against. It is very clear that this government is directly responsible for creating the situation which led to tension, agitation and suicide of the student Rohith, he said.

Sharma further said the BJP leadership has been making objectionable, offensive and insulting statements against the deceased student.

“He was not given respect and justice during his lifetime and this government and the ruling party is deliberately creating false impressions to mislead the people of the country and escape its own accountability,” he said.

“The question is how this situation was created and the responsibility squarely lies with the HRD Minister and Bandaru Dattatreya. Today, it’s not only in Hyderabad but in many other campuses of the country where there is resentment, tension and students are agitating,” said Sharma.

The Congress would continue to demand action against those who were responsible for creating the situation, he said.

“We want to make it very clear to the BJP leadership. They can be insensitive and careless, but we by expressing our solidarity with the cause of the students and also demanding action against those who are responsible, are doing what is our duty in a democracy and all their attempts to distort and mischievously misrepresent our action will not deter us from what we feel is justified,” he added. (ANI)