Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, urging the state governments to enact the Rohith Vemula Act to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system. In the letters dated April 17, Rahul Gandhi said, "These are the words of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Here he describes an incident during a long bullock cart journey. There was plenty of food with us. There was hunger burning within us; with all this, we were to sleep without food; that was because we could get no water, and we could get no water because we were untouchables."
The LoP further said that it is a shame that even today, millions of students from Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities have to face such brutal discrimination in our educational system. "The murder of bright young people like Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi and Darshan Solanki is simply not acceptable. It is time to put an end to this firmly. I urge the Karnataka government to enact the Rohith Vemula Act so that no child of India has to face what Dr BR Ambedkar, Rohit Vemula and millions of others have had to endure," Lok Sabha LoP added.
Earlier, on the request of Rahul Gandhi, it was proposed that the Rohith Vemula Act would be enacted in Karnataka. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the state government remains resolute in its commitment to enacting the Act in the state and will introduce the legislation at the earliest opportunity. "I thank Rahul Gandhi for his heartfelt letter and unwavering commitment to social justice. Our government stands firm in its resolve to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in Karnataka, ensuring that no student faces discrimination based on caste, class, or religion. We will bring this legislation at the earliest to honour the dreams of Rohith, Payal, Darshan, and countless others who deserved dignity, not exclusion," the Karnataka CM posted on X.
"This will be a step towards realising Dr BR Ambedkar's vision of an equal, compassionate India," he added.Rohith Vemula died by suicide in January 2016, allegedly upset over disciplinary actions taken against him by Hyderabad Central University, where he was pursuing a PhD. 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 taken against him by the university.