Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is in the eye of the storm ever since the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula at University of Hyderabad. It was after a clash with an ABVP leader on the varsity campus that Rohithand four others – all associated with the Ambedkar Students' Association – were dismissed from the university and the hostel in September last year. The action was reportedly taken after the Union ministry for human resource development (MHRD) inquired into the matter following written communications from labour minister Bandaru Duttatrey. In a telephonic interview with Kanchan Srivastava, ABVP's national general secretary Vinay Bidre sought to clear the air and clarify the organisation's stand on the issue. Excerpts from the interview:
ABVP is the focal point of a pan-India outrage following the suicide of Rohith. How do you view the whole issue?
We regret his demise. It should have never happened. All our members pray for his soul. His letter suggests that he was a very sensitive person. He was misguided and lured by groups with malafide intentions. We don't know why political parties are playing politics over the death of a young student. All this propaganda is aimed at maligning the image of NDA government.
Who do you think is behind the 'propaganda'?
The ABVP is a nationalist movement. Anti-national groups in Hyderabad University are behind this. Besides, the so-called Ambedkar groups, which have so far not done anything worthy of for the cause of Dalit students. The ABVP, on the other hand, had conducted a survey of 380 SC/ST hostels in Karnataka and Telangana, most of which are in bad shape. We approached the Supreme Court, which sought reports from 16 states on the issue.
The HRD ministry in their letters to Hyderabad University had reportedly stated that anti-national activities were happening on the varsity campus (while referring to 'violent attack' on an ABVP leader). How does a student's clash with an ABVP member qualify to be anti-national? Why did Susheel Kumar approach the labour minister seeking MHRD's intervention?
Duttatrey was approached because he was a member of Parliament. Susheel's complaint was about the anti-national activity of the students groups. They were screening a provocative movie 'Muzzaffarnagar Baki Hai' in which words Hindu and Muslim have been repeatedly mentioned and the Sangh Parivar was portrayed in bad light. Besides, they protested Yakub Memon's hanging and were threatening that more Yakub Memons will now take birth. Are these activities not anti-national?
But the letters of HRD ministry to the Vice Chancellor of the varsity reportedly didn't mention these activities and referred to only the 'attack on Susheel Kumar' as anti-national activity. That means Susheel Kumar's complaint to Bandaru Duttatrey was more personal in nature.
You have to understand the background of the whole incident. In June 2015, student elections were held. ABVP lost mainly because the leftists, pro-naxals and pseudo-secular groups joined hands despite their dismal base. We had accepted the verdict and extended our support for all good works. But they never did anything positive, but rather resorted to anti-national activities.
The ABVP is being accused of pursuing caste agenda and anti-Dalit activities...
This is untrue. We see each student as a student. Caste comes later. No one in the ABVP knows about my caste. We had selected 10 top leaders of Telangana recently. Incidentally, eight of them belong to SC/ST category.
Will ABVP extend any help to Rohith's family?
The boy hailed from Guntur. Our Guntur unit is in touch with the family which is very disturbed. They are working on a plan to give financial aid to his family. We will soon make an announcement.
Would you issue any advisory to your members now?
We will continue debate over intolerance and other significant issues. Our members know their limits well.
