PM Modi’s remark on Rajiv Gandhi leads to tug of words between teachers of Delhi University

May 7: Prime Minister Modi attacked Rajiv Gandhi while referring to the issue of Bofors scam while addressing an election rally at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, 40 km away from Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency Amethi on Sunday. He said that Rajiv Gandhi was called by his courtiers as ‘Mr Clean’ but he had died as ‘Bhrasthtachari No. 1’ (Corrupt No. 1).

This comment of PM Modi led to a war of words between the teachers of University of Delhi. Around 207 Delhi University teachers have issued a public statement condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making “derogatory and untrue” remarks about former PM Rajiv Gandhi. “Narendra Modi has lowered the dignity of the office of the prime minister by making derogatory and untrue remarks about the late Rajivji, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation,” the statement issued Monday night and signed by 207 teachers read. No prime minister has ever “stooped” to this level through such actions as has Modi, it said.

“If our IT companies earn, each year, billions of dollars in foreign revenue it is because of the farsighted wisdom of Rajivji. If India is connected as a nation through the advances in the telecom sector it is because of the policies and actions of Rajivji,” it said.

According to the statement, if train travel is so much more convenient today it is because of his (Rajiv Gandhi) acumen in computerising rail reservation. The statement was also signed by former Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) president Aditya Narayan Misra, two DU executive council members, three academic council members, DUTA vice president and joint secretary, and a member of the varsity’s finance committee.

It was followed a statement by 121 teachers on Tuesday in favour of Modi and accusing Gandhi of “corruption”. “(The) Bofors deal became a symbol of official corruption; it initiated a trend which had consistently been followed by Congress-led governments. Scandals like 2G, Coalgate, CWG, and now Scorpene Submarine scandal directly involving Rahul Gandhi are all the natural corollaries of Bofors tradition,” the statement read. They accused Rajiv Gandhi of beginning his term as prime minister “by justifying wanton murder of thousands of Sikhs in 1984 — an officially sponsored programme”.