New Delhi, June 11
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising serious concerns over the barriers hindering educational opportunities for students from marginalised communities.
Gandhi called upon the government to urgently intervene and address two critical issues affecting students from Dalit, Scheduled Tribes (ST), Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minority groups.
In his letter, the Congress MP stated that the conditions in residential hostels for students from these communities are in a "deplorable" state.
"I request you to resolve two critical issues which hinder education opportunities for the 90 per cent of students who are from marginalised communities. Firstly, the conditions in residential hostels for students from Dalit, ST, EBC, OBC and minority communities are deplorable," he wrote.
Gandhi referred to a recent visit he made to the Ambedkar Hostel in Darbhanga, Bihar, where students spoke of overcrowded rooms, poor sanitation, and the lack of essential facilities.
"Students complained about single rooms, which 6-7 students were forced to share, unhygienic toilets, unsafe drinking water, lack of mess facilities, and no access to libraries or the Internet," the letter mentioned.