Telangana NSUI chief alleges caste bias within Congress setup

Venkataswamy, a Dalit Mala leader, said he was the first student leader from his community to enter politics and the first Dalit to head the NSUI in the history of undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Hyderabad: The president of the Telangana unit of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Yadavalli Venkataswamy, has accused members of the Congress of caste-based discrimination and of working against him, alleging that he has been sidelined because he is a Dalit, according to The Mooknayak.

Venkataswamy, a Dalit Mala leader, said he was the first student leader from his community to enter politics and the first Dalit to head the NSUI in the history of undivided Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Addressing Dalit, backward class and weaker section leaders in a letter dated September 24, Thursday, Venkataswamy claimed that an upper-caste former Telangana NSUI leader had targeted him ever since he took charge as state president.

Without naming the leader, he alleged that the person had worked against him, making efforts to weaken him financially and mentally while continuing to maintain their influence over the organisation.

Venkataswamy alleged that some upper-caste student leaders were encouraged to oppose him. He said that social media was used to spread negative narratives about him.

‘Attempt to weaken authority’

According to Mooknayak, Venkataswamy alleged that he was prevented from forming NSUI state and district committees. He added that he eventually got around to doing so, but the committee was dissolved and he was removed even before his tenure ended.

This, he said, was done to check his authority while allowing a group to keep its grip over the student organisation.

Calling it caste discrimination, he alleged that when Dalits begin to rise, they face suppression. Portraying a Dalit NSUI state chief as inefficient could discourage other first-generation Dalit leaders from entering politics, he cautioned.

Insisting that the issue should not be taken up as a personal row, Venkataswamy appealed to Dalit, backward class and weaker section leaders to take note of ‘caste discrimination’ within the organisation.