Goa University invited Rahul Gandhi, not us: Youth Congress

Facing flak for the controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi's political meetings at the Goa University (GU) campus, the Youth Congress Saturday said it was the vice chancellor and registrar who had invited the Congress general secretary to the varsity.

Addressing a press conference, Goa Youth Congress president Sankalp Amonkar said: "The GU was in correspondence with Rahul Gandhi's office. They had invited Gandhi to the campus, we had not invited him."

He also criticised Vice Chancellor Dilip Deobagkar and Registrar Mohan Sangodkar for not being present to welcome Gandhi at the university premises, despite being hosts.

Meanwhile, Goa Governor SS Sidhu has already called for a "factual report" on Rahul Gandhi's visit to the varsity on Tuesday, a Raj Bhavan official said.

"The governor has taken note of the reports in the media about the Rahul Gandhi controversy. During a meeting with the vice chancellor held today, His Excellency has him to submit a factual report on Gandhi's visit to the campus," N. Radhakrishnan, the special secretary to the governor, said in a statement.

The three meetings conducted by Rahul Gandhi Tuesday created much controversy in the state, with the opposition BJP demanding the registrar's resignation for allowing them.

Gandhi addressed meetings of the Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) and later of the Youth Congress members and state Congress unit officials.

The varsity was under siege by members of the students cell of the BJP, before Gandhi's visit over the same issue.

The university later claimed that Youth Congress office bearers had kept them in the dark about the political nature of Gandhi's visit.