BJP's Dalit MPs have exposed 'anti-Dalit' Narendra Modi govt, says Congress

Dubbing the Union government as "anti-Dalit," the Congress today said its criticism by BJP's Dalits MPs has exposed it and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his "silence" and respond to their concerns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo: PTI (File)

NEW DELHI: Dubbing the Union government as "anti-Dalit," the Congress today said its criticism by BJP's Dalits MPs has exposed it and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his "silence" and respond to their concerns. Quoting from the statements five BJP Dalit MPs, Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill claimed that they proved Modi was working to make India 'Dalit-mukt.' The condition of scheduled castes can be understood when even the ruling party's MPs were underlining their fear and concerns, he told reporters. Taking a dig at Modi's 2014 poll campaign around 'Chai pe charcha' and his monthly radio broadcast 'Mann ki Baat,' the Congress spokesperson asked the Prime Minister to engage in a 'charcha' (discussion) with his own party's Dalit MPs to listen to their 'Mann ki Baat'. He said the situation due to rising atrocities on Dalits amid the government's lack of concern and inaction over the malady has reached such an alarming level that even the BJP MPs were now saying that the Modi government has done nothing for the community and that their condition has deteriorated under the government. The prime minister must break his never-ending silence on rising atrocities against Dalits and respond to the concerns and questions of his own MPs. BJP MPs' statements prove beyond doubt that PM Modi was working towards a Dalit-mukt' India," Shergill said. BJP MPs have exposed Modi's "anti-Dalit" mindset and policies, he added. Taking a dig at the Prime Minister's directive to his party MPs to spend a night in a village with over 50 per cent Dalits and tribals population, he said the prime minister should first call his party's Dalit MPs to his house to address their concerns rather than doing these "PR stunts". The statements of BJP's Dalit MPs - Udit Raj, Savitri Bai Phule, Chhote Lal Kharwar, Ashok Kumar Dohre and Yashwant Singh have punctured the government's tall claims, he said. These Lok Sabha members have expressed concerns over issues facing Dalits. While some of the MPs like Udit Raj and Dohre have not targeted their party's top brass outright others like Singh and Phule have been explicit in their criticism of the government. Modi's "stoic silence" shows the BJP-RSS is working towards making India Dalit-free and he was "enjoying" the anguish and pain of the scheduled castes and tribes, Shergill alleged.