Rahul trying to score 'political brownie points' over Rohith's suicide: BJP

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Dalit scholar's suicide in Hyderabad University, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday said the Congress vice-president was trying to score 'brownie points' by politicising Rohith Vemula's suicide.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Rahul should focus on problems of the Dalits rather than politicising an issue as serious as a suicide.

"Rahul Gandhi is trying to politicize the whole issue. Rather than discussing and going into the depths of the problems of the Dalits in the country, he is trying to bring a political angle into the whole thing. This is the same campus where nine Dalit students have committed suicide in the last 10 years," Patra told ANI.

"So rather than talk about the issues of Dalits, what he is doing is to score some political brownie points. That is why Rahul Gandhi should refrain from politicizing a suicide, politicizing a tragic incident," he added.

Gandhi, who sat on fast along with the protesting students at the Hyderabad Central University, had alleged that Prime Minister Modi was trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea from on top.

Addressing protesting students at the university, he said, "When you let what has happened to Rohith happen in the country, it will happen to you one day, no matter who you are. You will one day find that the same people, who crushed Rohith, will be blocking your path to freedom, to progress."

After addressing the students, Rahul and Rohith's mother ended their hunger strike. Activist and Professor Kancha Ilaiah offered juice to Gandhi and Rohith's mother to end their day-long strike.

The students have been agitating after Rohith, a Dalit PhD student at the university, committed suicide by hanging himself in his room.

Rohith and five other students were suspended by the university in connection with an alleged attack on an ABVP leader.

On January 18, Gandhi had made his first visit to the university, a day after Rohith committed suicide. That day, he had promised complete support to their agitation.