After repeated barbs from BSP supremo Mayawati over Rohith Vemula’s suicide, Smriti Irani said she is ready to behead herself, if her reply to the issue was unsatisfactory
Smriti Irani and Mayawati
New Delhi: Amid repeated adjournments, tempers ran high in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the parliament, which saw clashes between Mayawati and HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who said she's ready to behead herself if Mayawati was not satisfied with her reply while asking her to allow a discussion on the issue.
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Smriti Irani and Mayawati
To Mayawati's persistent demands, Irani said, "I am ready to reply to all questions. First you allow the discussion... If you want, I am ready to reply. If you are not satisfied with my reply, I am ready to behead myself and lay it on your feet." Before the house adjourned for the day, Mayawati dubbed the Vemula incident as an "insult to 25 crore Dalits" and asked for resignation of two union ministers over it. Trouble started as soon as the House met for the day with Mayawati speaking about the Vemula issue.
Mayawati, who wanted inclusion of a Dalit member in a committee that is probing Vemula's death, accused the government of trying to "neglect" his issue, while Irani said she was ready to reply to all questions. Later, amid sloganeering by BSP, Irani said the opposition was using a "dead child" (Rohith) as "a political tool and strategy."
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