Akhilesh Tripathi
LUCKNOW—Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has become the RSS hub. Instead of technical education, the IIT is imparting RSS ideology to the students.
Teachers who are not aligning with RSS ideology are being fired. The future of students is being destroyed by politicizing the prestigious institution.
IIT is known for imparting quality technical education to students. Young students always yearn to get admission into these institutions. Students have to work hard and crack different entrance tests to get admission. After passing out, the students are being hired by top companies in the country and abroad. IIT alumni are present across the world, and they are making India proud.
Since BJP assumed power at the Centre, technical education has become subservient to RSS. IIT Guwahati director TG Sathiram is associated with RSS. Sources said he is a close aide of RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale. Though he is serving as IIT director, his main job is to propagate RSS ideology in the Northeast.
Brijesh Kumar Rai, assistant professor at the department of electronics, electrical and engineering, was sacked because he did not support RSS ideology. He was serving a big company in France. But Rai came back to India to serve IIT Guwahati. He has complained to President Ramnath Kovind, but no action has been taken so far.
Even students who do not support RSS ideology are being pushed to the wall. PhD scholar Vikrant Singh was terminated because he did not support RSS ideology. The central government has appointed people with RSS links in IIT.
RSS is using IIT Guwhati as a launching pad to spread its agenda and ideology in the Northeastern states. RSS has chosen IIT Guwhati under a proper plan to spread its wings in the northeast.
All northeastern states were once part of Assam. Besides local Assamese, Assam houses a large number of Muslims as well. Even a good number of Biharis and Bengalis, too, live in Assam.
But so far, RSS has not been able to find a leader who will have command in the northeast region. When BJP came to power at the Centre, RSS decided to strengthen its roots in the northeast. To execute their plan, they decided to put their men at top positions in IIT.
IIT Guwhati director TG Sathiram is from Karnataka. Since he is close to RSS, he got the plump posting. He has proximity with Bangalore’s Yoga Guru Narendra Guru. Narendra is the Yoga Guru of Prime Minister Modi.
TG Sathiram even holds meetings of RSS in IIT to discuss ways to strengthen the party and spread its ideology across the northeastern region. Sometimes Assam chief minister also attends the meeting.
RSS has now deputed professor of finance in IIT Mumbai Vardraj Bapat to help Sathiram in his work. Bapat delivers lectures to ABVP cadres as well. He also attends ABVP meetings. Bapat was appointed in IIT in 2008. And till 2015, he was president of ABVP in Mumbai. Under rules, no faculty member can be part or align with any political party.
Since Assam is a key to RSS, the union education minister has made Bapat a member of the Board of Governors of IIT Guwahati and Manipur. Under rules, the education minister can nominate four members. IIT council, which has the right to appoint members, is headed by the central education minister. The education minister has to select the member from the list proposed by the IIT council. But to date, no list has been sent to the education minister. The ruling party is planting their men by manipulating rules. Prof Bapat is part of this scheme.
TG Sathiram tried hard to convince Prof Rai to support RSS ideology, but he refused. However, given his teaching aptitude, he became popular among students. Sathiram started targeting Prof Rai when he refused to support him in organizing the RSS programme on the campus. PhD scholar Vikrant Singh, too, suffered after he refused to toe the RSS line.
This story first appeared on indiatomorrow.net