'Don't sidetrack issues raised by Gurmehar'

It is important to respond to the issues raised by Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur than sidetrack them, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Thursday.

"Listen to her and respond to her if you have the guts," Sisodia said when a journalist wanted his comment on speculation that Kaur may be with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Kaur "is a daughter of this country, the daughter of a martyr", the AAP leader said. "Focus on what she said, the issues she raised."

In an obvious reference to those who attacked Kaur after she took on the RSS-affiliated ABVP, Sisodia said critics were trying to run away from the issues she raised by questioning how her army officer father died and her own political affiliations.

A student of Lady Shri Ram College, Kaur had to leave Delhi for Punjab after getting death and rape threats following her social media campaign against the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.