Rahul Gandhi: DU plan to remove Kancha Ilaiah books is to disempower Dalits

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has expressed solidarity with academician-activist Kancha Ilaiah over the alleged move by Delhi University to ban three books written by him. Gandhi called it a part of the RSS’s design to keep backwards and Dalits disempowered and propagate a "unilateral view of Hinduism".

"I write this letter to express my solidarity against the majoritarian move being made by the Delhi University by recommending the ban of three of your books from the universitys political science curriculum," Rahul Gandhi wrote in a letter to Ilaiah, a Dalit rights activist.

Last week, the Standing Committee on Academic Affairs (SCAA) had recommended the dropping of the books — Why I am not a Hindu, Post Hindu India and God as a Political Philosopher: Buddha’s Challenge to Brahminism — from the list of suggested reading.

Members of the RSS and BJP-backed National Democratic Teachers’ Front had opposed the books, saying they were anti-Hindu.

The RSS' "fascism" is apparent in the move. Their aggressive move to propagate a unilateral view of Hinduism is deplorable, Rahul Gandhi wrote.

Gandhi said Ilaiah’s books were a part of the university's syllabus for over a decade, without any questions being raised on their impact on the minds of students.

"Now the RSS, which cannot boast of any intellectual or academic capital, is seeking to destroy academic integrity by silencing diverse voices. This is part of their larger design to keep the Shudras and Dalits disempowered," stated Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi hoped that the Academic Council would reject the move by Delhi University’s Standing Committee on Academic Matters.

Ilaiah described Rahul’s letter as “a great support” for maintaining academic standards in institutions and appealed to all parties to take a similar stand.

Here you can read the full text of the letter:

with PTI inputs.