'Mosquitoes bite us at Dalit homes': UP Minister Anupama Jaiswal

“We have initiated schemes to uplift every section of the society. And for this every minister is working really hard. We are spending nights at homes of Dalit people where we are stung by mosquitoes, but still we are doing it,” Jaiswal reportedly said.

UP Minister Anupama Jaiswal

New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi recently asked BJP workers and leaders to refrain from making controversial statements. But it seems his ministers in Uttar Pradesh are paying no heed to his advice. For the third time in a row, a UP minister has gone on record to stoke a new controversy while commenting on Dalits. The latest entrant is Anupma Jaiswal, the state’s basic education minister.  Lauding the government’s initiative of Dalit outreach programme, Anupam said ‘we are spending nights at Dalit homes despite being stung by mosquitoes’. “We have initiated schemes to uplift every section of the society. And for this every minister is working really hard. We are spending nights at homes of Dalit people where we are stung by mosquitoes, but still we are doing it,” Anpuma reportedly said. In a bid to quell the controversy, Anupama today said her statement was "misconstrued". Earlier, Suresh Rana, dined at the house of a Dalit but brought with him his own food and water at a dinner. Pictures of the lavish spread on dining table went viral on the social media. The Dalit host was left baffled. Another minister Rajendra Pratap Singh compared the exercise to Lord Ram visiting the home of Shabari and "purifying" Dalits. Udit Raj, a party MP, had said the Dalit outreach programme would not bring any electoral gains to the party, rather it would make Dalits feel "inferior". Opposition parties have also dubbed the dinner as 'hypocrisy' and a 'drama'.