‘Exploiting tragedy for optics’: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi as he meets family of mob lynching victim

Gandhi met the family of the victim in Fatehpur on Friday morning

After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met the family of Hariom Valmiki, the Dalit man lynched in Raebareli, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a sharp attack on the Congress leader.

Gandhi met the family of the victim in Fatehpur on Friday morning. After the meeting, the Congress MP alleged that the Uttar Pradesh administration tried to stop the family from meeting them.

On his visit, BJP leader Amit Malviya said the Congress leader tried to exploit tragedy for optics, terming as “a new low” in politics.

“Rahul Gandhi’s photo-op politics hits a new low, even by his own already low standards. Once again, he tried to exploit tragedy for optics, but the very people he aimed to use rejected him outright. Shivam Valmiki, brother of Hariom, made it clear: no political leader, not even Rahul Gandhi, is welcome,” said Malviya.

“Politics isn’t a photo opportunity. It’s about action and responsibility. Rahul Gandhi clearly hasn’t learned that lesson,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi’s photo-op politics hits a new low, even by his own already low standards. Once again, he tried to exploit tragedy for optics, but the very people he aimed to use rejected him outright. Shivam Valmiki, brother of Hariom, made it clear: no political leader, not even… pic.twitter.com/U7fkW5owNp

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) October 17, 2025

His statement came after Gandhi accused the state administration of trying to intimidate the victim’s family. In a post on X in Hindi, Gandhi said, "The brutal murder of Hariom Valmiki has shaken the conscience of the entire nation. There was a question in his family's eyes along with pain: Is being a Dalit still a deadly crime in this country?"

"The administration in Uttar Pradesh is busy intimidating the victim's family. They even tried to prevent the family from meeting me. This is the same failure of the system -- which, every time, shields the perpetrators and puts the victim in the dock instead," Gandhi charged.

Maintaining that "justice cannot be put under house arrest", the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the BJP government must end the pressure on the victim's family and ensure the harshest punishment for the culprits.

"I stand firmly with Hariom Valmiki's family and every exploited, deprived, and vulnerable citizen of the country. This fight is not just for Hariom - it is for every voice that refuses to bow to injustice," he said on X.

Gandhi reportedly spent around 25 minutes with the family of the victims.

Later speaking to reporters, Gandhi charged that, "Dalit oppression is at its peak under this government." Referring to the alleged suicide by Haryana IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, Gandhi said that "A few days ago, a Dalit officer had committed suicide. I went there, and today, I came here".