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Despite hurdles, Rahul meets students

— Photo: PTI

A DAY ON CAMPUS: Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi with students of the M.S. University in Vadodara on Friday.

VADODARA: It was a pleasant surprise for the students of the science faculty of the Maharaja Sayajirao University here on Friday as Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi stormed the campus despite best efforts of the university authorities to prevent him from meeting the students.

Mr. Gandhi’s scheduled interaction with the students while attending the commerce day celebrations had to be cancelled as the university authorities, at the last moment, withdrew permission to allot the D.N. Hall for the purpose. In fact, the venue for the meeting was changed thrice during the last couple of days citing security reasons, and even the permission to hold a meeting at the amphitheatre at Kamatibagh, owned by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, was withdrawn just a few hours before the schedule visit early on Friday morning.

Vice-Chancellor R.K. Goyal had initially agreed to allot the D.N. Hall for Mr. Gandhi’s meeting. But after an objection was raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the students’ wing of the BJP, against the use of the university campus for “political purposes,” Mr. Goyal refused to sign the authorisation letter and instead went away to Gandhinagar.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s adverse remarks on the eve of Mr. Gandhi’s visit to Gujarat were also cited by Congress sources as the reason for the Vice-Chancellor refusing permission. But, the party leaders said no reason was assigned why even the amphitheatre which was outside the university campus was not given by the BJP-controlled corporation.

Undeterred by the developments, Mr. Gandhi, who visited a youth membership drive booth at Karelibagh, drove straight to the science faculty of the university. Many of Congress leaders were not even aware of Mr. Gandhi’s next plan from Karelibagh.

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