"Rohith Vemula's dignity has to be respected; Opposition drags it on street": Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman was addressing the students at Deccan College in Pune.

When asked about the interference in the research institutes by political parties, including the ruling party, how can freedom of thought be safeguarded? Sitharaman said, "I don't think this is the issue at all. There is speculation that the government may not support some research--no, not at all. Every research is fine but the research must be data-based and data-driven with regression methodology. It has no political agenda underlined. Research should be research but if there are political agendas, there would be political responses too from the ruling party or any other party."

"I tell with an example that came yesterday, Rohith Vemula. In an unforunate incident, without allowing the university to handle it with sensitivity, the case was dragged to the streets of India, and a narrative was built that this government is suppressing, this government is not allowing students and is against the SCs. Today, the same people who dragged the unfortunate family on the street should stand up before the entire country and apologise for politicising the incident," she added.

She further said that the toxic involvement of the narrative that was framed did not come from the government; it came from the people with vested interests.

"The left-liberal groups and leaders in the opposition, who say 'mohabbat ki dukan', actually perpetrated this problem, spoke so badly, and spoke also in the Parliament about his interpretation," the Finance Minister said.

"The allegations were levelled against the then education minister and the government because the university happened to be the central university. Political interference, intorlence, and hate lie not with the government but with the vested interest groups, who do not lose any opportunity to bring toxins," she added.

"Rohith Vemula had dignity that has to be respected, dragging him and his mother in the name of protecting the Dalit cause. We all respect the Dalit cause; the reservation given by the constitution is affirmative support," Sitharaman said.

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, the Finance Minister said," Speaking in the parliament was the worst example. The issue was dragged along without allowing law and enforcement agencies to do their jobs; the matter was given political colour and tone."

Vemula, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a hostel room on January 17, 2016. He was allegedly upset over disciplinary actions that were taken against him by the university. (ANI)