Rohit Vemula suicide: BJP slams IUML for 'petty politics'

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday hit out at the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Congress for misusing Rohit Vemula's suicide incident for their political gains.Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Piyush Goyal said that the IUML had offered Rohit's mother Radhika a sum of Rs 20 Lakh to malign the image of the BJP.

"IUML made fake promises to provide them (Rohith Vemula's family) Rs 20 lakh and asked them to address their rallies and misrepresent the unfortunate incident and then not completed that promise. This is condemnable," Goyal said.

He further slammed the IUML for giving a political angle to the death of the Hyderabad Central University student and exploiting his mother's grief for some "very low level of politics".

"I was shocked after reading Rohith Vemula's mother's statement. For how long will some opposition parties continue these lowly deeds for petty political gains? The family is not financially stable and fake assurance of money was provided to a distressed mother for political purposes," he added.

Rohith's mother had reportedly said that the IUML took them to Kerala and made them participate in a big meeting where the party promised that it would sanction Rs 20 lakh and construct a house for them but nothing happened.

Goyal further alleged that Congress president Rahul Gandhi also asked Vemula's family to attend public events and make statements against the BJP. Goyal also asked Rahul to tender an apology for the same.

Rohit, 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 disciplinary action taken against him by the university.