Blame game continues over Dalit scholar's suicide

The war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party escalated over the death of research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide at a Hyderabad university on Sunday.

Here is who said what on the Dalit scholar suicide in Hyderabad.

• Met students of the Ambedkar Students Association, Hyderabad University. These students were protesting against the unjust expulsion and social boycott of Dalit students on campus: Rahul Gandhi's tweet after meeting students.

• Don't want to make political statement. My condolences to family of deceased. Government doesn't intervene in the administration of universities. Two-member fact finding team will submit report on this: Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani

• The HRD Ministry must not be targeted in this case. Nevertheless, we are focusing on the matter at hand. A fact finding committee is doing its job and investigating the incident. Action will be taken only after we get the report: Minister of State (MoS) for Human Development Upendra Kushwaha

• Rahul Gandhi has acted negatively on everything. Only because of this attitude the Congress is suffering. We are trying to heal the wound and the Congress Party wants to gain political mileage out of it. This won't happen: Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs and senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

• Deeply saddened at the tragic death of Dalit student Rohit Vemula in Hyderabad. Government must ensure fair probe and action against those responsible: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar

• Modi government constitutionally duty bound to uplift Dalits. Instead Modi ji's ministers got five Dalit students ostracised and suspended. It's not suicide. It's murder. It's murder of democracy, social justice n equality. Modi ji should sack ministers and aplogoize to the nation: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

• Deeply disturbed to hear about suicide of Rohit Vemula. Circumstances which led to this must be independently investigated for his outspokenness honesty, frugality and love for the nation. My condolences to his friends and family: Congress leader Ahmad Patel

• Leaders like Bandaru Dattatreya possess an old mindset and are a result of anti-Dalit attitude of the BJP. The intolerance of the ruling government was earlier visible against the liberals but now it seems they are trying to suppress the Dalits also: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit.