HYDERABAD: "Rohith Vemula is and will remain a symbol of my struggle against social discrimination and injustice", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday at the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra remembering the Dalit student who killed himself in 2016 following alleged harassment.
Rohith's mother Radhika Vemula met Gandhi and walked with him briefly during the morning leg of the Yatra.
"Extended solidarity to Bharat Jodo Yatra, walked with Rahul Gandhi, and called upon Congress to save Constitution from BJP-RSS assault, Justice for Rohith Vemula, passing Rohith Act, increasing representation of Dalits, oppressed sections in higher judiciary, education for all," Radhika Vemula tweeted after the meeting.
In a tweet in Hindi after meeting Vemula's mother, Gandhi said, "Rohith Vemula is and will remain a symbol of my struggle against social discrimination and injustice. By meeting Rohith's mother, the steps towards the goal of the journey gained new courage as well as the mind got peace, the former Congress chief said.
The Congress from its official Twitter handle and several party leaders tweeted pictures of Radhika Vemula walking with Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The death of the 26-year-old Dalit student on January 17, 2016 triggered a nationwide agitation against casteism in institutions of higher learning.
Gandhi had joined the student protests over the suicide of Rohith Vemula.