Jignesh Mevani Targets ‘Useless’ Gujarat Govt, Threatens Bandh On June 1 If Cases Against Dalits Not Withdrawn

Mevani called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat “nikamma” (useless) for doing nothing when a legislator from the state was “kidnapped” and taken away, PTI reported.

Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani (Image: Twitter/@jigneshmevani80)

New Delhi: Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani has threatened a Gujarat bandh on June 1 if the state government did not withdraw cases against individuals of the Dalit community in connection with the 2016 Una flogging incident.

Mevani called the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat “nikamma” (useless) for doing nothing when a legislator from the state was “kidnapped” and taken away, PTI reported.

“I would like to tell the Gujarat government that you are so ‘nikamma’ (useless), that you could do nothing when the Assam police came to Gujarat to trample upon its pride. You should be ashamed of it,” he said.

Mevani, the convener of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, made this statement soon after landing in Ahmedabad earlier on Tuesday nearly two weeks after being arrested by the Assam Police.

“The Assam Police kidnapping an MLA from Gujarat and taking him to Assam is an insult to 6.5 crore people of Gujarat,” he said, PTI reported.

The Dalit leader made the people assembled for the programme take an oath to never vote for the BJP or attend an RSS ‘shakha’.

Gujarat Congress president Jagdish Thakor was also present during the programme along with senior party leaders like Arjun Modhwadia and Amit Chavda.

Continuing his outburst, the independent MLA lashed out at the Assam government for not saying “sorry” over a lower court’s critical observation regarding an FIR filed against him in the north-eastern state.

“Instead of feeling ashamed over the observation made by the court, questioning its conscience and reviewing its character, it (Assam government) came out with a stay order (from Gauhati High Court) so as not to publish that review order (of lower court). But it is not yet ready to say sorry,” he said.

The Assam Police arrested Mevani from the Palanpur circuit house in Gujarat earlier on April 20 after a complaint was filed against him over a purported tweet against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.