Venkaiah vents ire at BJP’s detractors

ROHITH SUICIDE
Union Minister says that BJP’s rivals are trying to gain political mileage out of the tragedy

Hyderabad: Amid the row over suicide by a Dalit research scholar at Hyderabad Central University, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu Tuesday alleged that BJP's political rivals are trying to gain political mileage out of the tragedy instead of addressing the core issue.

• Takes a dig at Congress for neglecting the welfare of Dalits during its long spells of ruling
• Says political intolerance is the biggest challenge faced by the country

"When an unfortunate incident happens, instead of condemning it, going into its roots as to why this unfortunate incident happened, why a youth lost his life, how the discrimination is to be eliminated, what are the changes to be made, what changes are to be brought in thinking, what changes are to be brought into the system, making it into a political pilgrimage and making it a tool of vote bank politics (is condemnable).

The world is looking at this amazed," he said. BJP's political rivals are trying to gain political capital by trying to "defame" the government when such incidents (like alleged suicide of Rohith Vemula in HCU) happened, he alleged.

Taking a dig at Congress, he asked what did "those in power for 50-60 years" did for Dalits. "When 10 or 20 students committed suicide then, had governments intervened, then the situation would not have come to this.

Why did it not intervene then? People are asking those who are going on (political) pilgrimages now and making political speeches. But they do not have an answer," Naidu said. Such parties are only trying to "hurt" the country's image by "polluting" social atmosphere, he charged.

"It is a challenge for us if somebody commits suicide due to caste discrimination. Everybody needs to introspect. All need to focus attention on how to change the system. 'Sarva Dharma Samabhavana' is our policy. Our (BJP) slogan is 'sab ke saath, sab ka vikas'," he said.