Congress hits back at BJP over Rohith Vemula issue

Hyderabad (Telangana) : The Congress Party on Wednesday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to gain attention by blaming the party and its President, Rahul Gandhi.

This came after Union Minister and BJP leader Piyush Goyal accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of misusing Rohith Vemula's suicide incident for their political gains.

"The BJP is just trying to defame him (Rahul Gandhi) in all possible ways they can. The popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hitting a new low each day. So, they are searching for unwanted issues through which they can gain more and more publicity," Congress leader Hanumantha Rao told ANI.

Rao also refuted Goyal's allegations on the Congress President.

"There were several issues that Rahul Gandhi wanted to raise after the death of Rohith Vemula. There is a difference between a suicide and a murder. He wanted the investigation to be done properly so that justice can be done. Rahul Gandhi never offered money to his family," he said.

Earlier in the day, Goyal, while addressing a press conference, alleged that Rahul Gandhi had asked Vemula's family to attend public events and make statements against the BJP.

The Railway Minister further asked Rahul to tender an apology for the same.

Rohith, a PhD scholar at the Hyderabad Central University, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a hostel room on January 17, 2016. He was allegedly upset over the disciplinary action that was taken against him by the university.