Mumbai : The National Communist Party (NCP) on lashed out at the BJP-led NDA Government for being insensitive over Rohith Vemula’s suicide and said ‘full marks’ should be given to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for providing solace to the family members of the PhD scholar.
“The situation that has now being created after the death of the Dalit (student) is definitely a very important political issue and Rahul loses no opportunities in drawing some political capital out of it which is justified. As far as Rahul is concerned, I must give him full marks for at least finding time to go and provide them solace. They are in great need. Even a small man going and wiping their tears would definitely have great consequences. Rahul is a national leader. So, therefore, the Congress is fully justified in making a political issue out of it,” NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI here.
“The people from the authority, power, those in state or Centre have been found to be absolute inactive in this matter or insensitive about the issue and that is why Rahul is drawing capital. Agitation is going on post the death of this man and the government doesn’t bother. .it is the duty of the government to consider as a priority a burning issue, which needs to be addressed to the satisfaction of the victims in particular and people in general and the Dalit community,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had earlier said the Congress vice-president was trying to score ‘brownie points’ by politicising Rohith’s suicide.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that Gandhi should focus on problems of the Dalits rather than politicising an issue as serious as a suicide.
“Rahul Gandhi is trying to politicise 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 politicising a suicide, politicising a tragic incident,” he added.
Gandhi, who sat on a fast yesterday along with the protesting students at the Hyderabad University, alleged that Prime Minister Modi was trying to crush the spirit of Indian youngsters by imposing one idea from on top.
Addressing the 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.”
The students have been agitating after Rohith, a PhD student at the university, committed suicide by hanging himself.
Rohith and five other students were suspended by the university in connection with an alleged attack on an ABVP leader. (ANI)