Emotional scenes were witnessed when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Radhika Vemula, mother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula who had ended his life protesting discrimination by university officials in 2016.
Ms. Radhika walked along with Mr. Gandhi for some distance near Shamshabad. Mr. Gandhi hugged the teary-eyed woman who voiced her support for the Congress leader.
“I wish that the Congress comes to power driving away the hate and violence unleashed by the present government at the Centre in the name of religion,” she said.
Mr. Gandhi had spent a night at the University of Hyderabad sitting along with the students who were protesting on the campus after Rohith’s suicide in 2016. He met Rohith’s family and condoled them on their loss, apart from promising them to fight for justice.
After meeting Mr. Gandhi, Ms. Radhika posted a message on Twitter stating that she extends her solidarity with the padayatra and called upon the Congress “to save the Constitution from the BJP-RSS assault”.
“Rohith Vemula is and will continue to remain a symbol of my struggle against social discrimination and injustice. Meeting Rohit’s mother has further strengthened my resolve to march forward in my journey,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.
