Rahul Gandhi urges Telangana to address caste bias in education through Rohith Vemula Act

Leader of the Opposition and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has urged Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to implement the Rohith Vemula Act — a proposed legislation aimed at eliminating caste-based discrimination in educational institutions.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Gandhi highlighted the deep-rooted inequalities that continue to affect students from marginalized communities.

He wrote, “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.”

Referring to the personal experiences of Dr B R Ambedkar, Gandhi cited a powerful description from the Dalit icon's school days.

"I knew I was an untouchable and that untouchables were subjected to certain indignities and discrimination. For instance, I knew that in school I could not sit in the midst of my classmates according to my rank, but that I was to sit in a corner by myself,” said Gandhi.

The letter also touched upon the tragic case of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar at the University of Hyderabad who took his own life in January 2016 — a moment that triggered national outrage and calls for legislative reform.

Since then, numerous groups across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have continued to demand the enactment of the Rohith Vemula Act, which was also one of the key demands of the protesting students after Vemula's death.

Gandhi reminded the CM of the urgency of the issue, saying, “No child of India has to face what B.R. Ambedkar, Rohith Vemula, and a million others have had to endure.”

A few days ago, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah responded to a similar appeal from Gandhi, assuring that his government would enact the act to address caste- and identity-based discrimination in education.

Gandhi expressed hope that Telangana would follow suit.

He concluded, "The murder of bright young people like Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi, and Darshan Solanki is simply not acceptable. It is time to put a firm end to this.”