New Delhi, May 24:Radhika Vemula, mother of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, offered her condolences to former Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya after his 21-year-old son died of cardiac arrest. 

"My deepest condolences to Mr Bandaru Dattatreya and family from the bottom of My Heart. As I know the pain when someone lost their son, I hope you will be fine. Sorry for your loss. Jai Bhim," she said in a Facebook post.

Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, had hanged himself in his hostel room on the campus on January 17, 2016 as he was allegedly upset over the disciplinary action taken against him by the varsity. 

The issue had taken a political turn with allegations that the extreme action was a result of discrimination against Dalit students at the behest of Mr Dattatreya, then Union labour minister. It was also alleged that the BJP leader had written a letter to the Education Ministry, seeking action against the Dalit students' "anti-national" acts.

Mr Dattatreya was named as a prime accused in the case of abetment to suicide. However, a report of the one-man judicial commission under former Allahabad High Court judge Justice A K Roopanwal gave a clean chit to the BJP leader.

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Delhi: The increased involvement of Smriti Irani in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activities in Delhi has stirred discussions within the party's local unit regarding her potential candidacy in the upcoming 2025 assembly elections. For the first time in a decade, the BJP is considering projecting a face for its Delhi election campaign, with Irani's name among those in contention.

The recent meeting included discussions about several potential names who could be the face of the BJP for their Delhi poll campaign, including Irani, who previously lost the Lok Sabha election in Amethi to Congress's Kishori Lal, a senior BJP leader told The Indian Express. Other names mentioned include Praveen Khandelwal, Kamaljeet Sehrawat, Manoj Tiwari, and Bansuri Swaraj. “Several possibilities are on the table, including fielding Smriti ji, regarding whom the national leadership is in the process of taking the final decision. Or, the party may bet on an incumbent Lok Sabha MP popular enough to pull the party through the Delhi Assembly elections. If an MP gets elected CM, they may then be replaced by a former Union Minister,” added the BJP functionary.

An insider revealed to the publication that the saffron party is contemplating a unified campaign strategy for the Delhi elections, marking a significant shift since the party last did so in 2015. This topic was addressed among senior leaders during a meeting held at the party's DDU Marg headquarters on the same day that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi Chief Minister, handing leadership to Atishi. The source revealed that the Union Ministers present in the meeting asked for suggestions on whom the party could project as the face of its Delhi election campaign based on various criteria.

In addition to selecting a campaign face, BJP leadership is reportedly also considering a larger role for its Delhi MPs, keeping adequate caste and community representation in mind.. “As far as the MPs are concerned, they are being assessed based on their popularity as well as the caste and community they belong to. The party may go in for significant organisational changes in Delhi during Navratri in October after the conclusion of the Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections,” a BJP leader told IE.