Radhika Vemula, the mother of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula, whose suicide had sparked off countrywide protests in 2016, joined Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Hyderabad on Tuesday.

Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at Hyderabad Central University, had died by suicide on January 17, 2016. In his suicide note, he had alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment by the university. He and four others had been suspended on the complaint of a leader of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

On Tuesday morning, Radhika Vemula walked alongside Gandhi as the Congress’ countrywide campaign entered the Telangana capital.

In a tweet, she expressed support for the Bharat Jodo Yatra and wrote that she called upon the Congress to save the Constitution from assault by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. She also demanded a law in her son’s name to increase the representation of Dalits and other oppressed sections in the judiciary and educational institutions.

Gandhi also posted photos on Twitter hugging Radhika Vemula. “Rohith Vemula is and will always remain the symbol of my struggle against social discrimination and injustice,” he wrote in Hindi. “I got renewed courage and strength to march towards the goal of this journey after meeting Rohith’s mother.”

On Tuesday morning, Gandhi and other party leaders entered Hyderabad after starting from Matha temple at Shamshabad situated just outside the city, The News Minute reported. Newly-elected Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will also join the yatra later on Tuesday.