A little while after getting a missive from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on ending caste-based discrimination in education, Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah declared here on Friday that his government would introduce Rohith Vemula Act to tackle the issue in Karnataka.

Responding to the call of the Congress leader, the Karnataka chief minister said, “We will bring this legislation at the earliest to honour the dreams of Rohit, Payal, Darshan, and countless others who deserved dignity, not isolation.”

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Taking to social media platform X, Siddaramaiah said, “Our Government stands firm in its resolve to enact the Rohith Vemula Act in Karnataka – to ensure no student faces discrimination based on caste, class, or religion. We will bring this legislation at the earliest to honour the dreams of Rohith, Payal, Darshan, and countless others who deserved dignity, not exclusion.”

He said the legislation would be a step forward towards realising Dr BR Ambedkar’s vision of India where equality and compassion reins. The Congress party has made a pledge to introduce the Rohit Vedula Act at the national level too if it comes to power at the centre.

Rahul Gandhi, in a letter to Siddaramaiah, said, “Babasaheb Ambedkar demonstrated that education is the primary means by which even the most deprived can become empowered and break the caste system. But it is very unfortunate that even after decades, lakhs of students are facing caste discrimination in our education system. This discrimination has taken the lives of promising students like Rohith Vemula, Payal Tadvi and Darshan Solanki.”

“It was shameful that even today, millions of students from marginalised communities face similar indignities,” Rahul Gandhi said, adding, “It is time to put an end to this firmly.”

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, commited suicide in January 2016. He had taken his life after allegedly being distressed over disciplinary action taken against him.