Swaraj India urges PM Modi to intervene in BHU employees’ protest

New Delhi: The Swaraj India on urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “immediate” steps to ensure that justice was meted out to Banaras Hindu University’s (BHU) daily wage employees, who have been on a fast-unto-death protest demanding regularisation of their services.

Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, in his letter to the Prime Minister, also accused the BHU administration of “being apathetic” in the matter, notwithstanding the “deteriorating” health condition of the protesters as he urged him to intervene.

BHU falls within Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.

“I am requesting you to take serious note of the issue and take necessary steps immediately to ensure that injustice is not meted out to the employees who have served the varsity for three decades and see that faith is restored in the university administration,” Yadav wrote in his letter.

He also sought to draw the Prime Minister’s attention towards the “euthanasia demand” made by the protesters to President Pranab Mukherjee after the university authorities allegedly did not pay heed to their protest.

“These employees have been on a fast-unto-death strike for the last 30 days and before that, they had staged a hunger strike for 90 days. The health of the employees has deteriorated and some of them were even hospitalised.

“But, the (BHU) administration kept being a mute spectator,” Yadav alleged, adding that this “example of exploitation” has become a “matter of concern”.