Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said there is a "campaign of lies" trying to mislead Dalits and a "deliberate conspiracy" to disintegrate the country. Addressing a public gathering ahead of the Tamil Nadu elections, Modi launched a veiled attack on the Congress, saying "they are feeling frustrated because power has been taken away from them". He also ruled out scrapping reservations in the country.

The prime minister's remarks came days after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi made two trips to Hyderabad Central University while students were protesting against the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. Gandhi had accused Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of trying to crush the spirit of the students, reported PTI.

Modi also attacked the Congress for stalling proceedings in the Rajya Sabha during the Winter session of Parliament. He said, "In the last 19 months, there has been no corruption charge against anyone [and] no scam. They are worried about what to do with Modi, so they decided not to allow Rajya Sabha [to function]." Modi added that not a single day has passed without a good initiative from his government in the interest of the poor since it came to power in May last year.