Rahul Gandhi meets Kapil Sibal over student union poll issue

NEW DELHI - Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi met Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal here today to discuss the issue of student elections not being held in three central universities of Uttar Pradesh for many years.

Gandhi was accompanied by students from the Benaras Hindu University (BHU), Allahabad University and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Sibal said: “The students, along with Rahul Gandhi met me and explained the aspirations of students that they should be integral part of democratic process of the universities to take forward academic excellence.”

“The concerns of the students will be forwarded to the universities concerned,” he added.

While there had been no union elections in the BHU since 1997, elections in the Allahabad University and the AMU were last held in 2004 and 2007 respectively.

Students Union elections in BHU have not been held in BHU since the ugly incidents on February 20, 1997, when violence was witnessed on the central university campus during the introductory speech of candidates for that year student union polls. (ANI)