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Updated: May 08, 2019 01:31 IST

Delhi University teachers are divided over the issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark about former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

While a group of 207 teachers issued a public statement condemning Modi’s remark about Gandhi during a political rally, another group of 121 supported the Prime Minister.

Modi, in a rally on Saturday, had targeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale issue and called Rajiv Gandhi corrupt.

In their statement issued on Monday night, the 207 teachers termed the remark “derogatory and untrue.”

The members said, “Narendra Modi has lowered the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister by making derogatory and untrue remarks about late Rajiv ji, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation.”

In the statement, tweeted by Congress’ overseas affair in-charge Sam Pitroda on Tuesday morning, the teachers made references to the 1999 Kargil war and the telecom revolution in India. “When India beat back the invaders from Kargil, our soldiers shouted slogans praising Rajiv Gandhi for the Bofors gun, even though Rajiv ji had been martyred a decade ago,” it read.

But on Tuesday, a group of 121 teachers issued a statement supporting the PM’s remark. “We fully support PM Modi for bringing into public attention the regime of corruption in big defence deals started during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure. ‘Bofors deal’ became a symbol of official corruption; it initiated a trend which had consistently been followed by the Congress-led governments.”

Criticising the other group of teachers for issuing a statement against the Prime Minister’s remark, the teachers said, “The statement was issued by some DU teachers who do not want anyone to point fingers at Rajiv Gandhi whereas they refer to the incumbent PM in the foulest language on a daily basis.”

Rajesh Jha, a teacher at Rajdhani College, was among the 207 teachers who are against the Prime Minister’s remark. “The teachers have issued the statement because the PM has said something that was factually incorrect,” he said.

Among the 121 teachers to support Modi is VS Negi, a teacher at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.

“The fact that Rajiv Gandhi was awarded a Bharat Ratna cannot prevent future analysts from critiquing his contribution to organised corruption in the county,” he said.