Karnataka CM writes to Rahul Gandhi on preparing draft of Rohith Vemula Act

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday wrote to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi informing him that he has instructed his legal advisor and team to prepare a draft of the Rohith Vemula Act, a legislation that will act as a deterrent against discrimination in educational institutions.

The move comes a day after Siddaramaiah said that the state government stands firm in its resolve to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in Karnataka at the earliest, after Gandhi urged him to enact the law to ensure that no one faces caste-based discrimination in the education system.

"The reference in your letter dated 16th April 2025, to the incident faced by Dr B R Ambedkar, as narrated by him is indeed a sad reality even to this day. No child or adult must face the shame and stigma faced by Babasaheb," Siddaramaiah said in his letter to the Congress leader.

Assuring that he and his government are committed to ensuring an egalitarian and equal society, the Karnataka chief minister said, "We must join hands to bring the Dalits, Adivasis and Backward classes into the main stream. That the oppressed classes must no more face any discrimination in our educational system." "I have instructed my legal advisor and team to prepare a draft of the Rohith Vemula Act, a legislation that will act as a deterrent against discrimination in educational institutions," he added.

In his letter to the Karnataka CM, Gandhi had highlighted the discrimination BR Ambedkar faced in his lifetime and said Siddaramaiah would agree that what Ambedkar faced was shameful and should not be endured by any child in India.

"It is a shame that even today millions of students from Dalit, Adivasi and OBC communities have to face such brutal discrimination in our educational system," he said.

"The murder of bright young people like Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi and Darshan Solanki is simply not acceptable. It is time to put a firm end to this. I urge the Karnataka government to enact the Rohith Vemula Act so that no child of India has to face what Dr B R Ambedkar, Rohit Vemula and millions of others have had to endure," the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in his letter.

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit student, died by suicide due to caste-based discrimination in 2016.