Both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday saw uproar over thrashing of some Dalits by cow vigilante in Gujarat, with Congress accusing BJP and RSS of working for “Dalit-mukt Bharat”, evoking a sharp reaction from Government which cited figures of atrocities faced by Dalits during Congress.
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Berating the Modi government over attacks on Dalits in Gujarat, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said it is an example of “social terror” condoned by the ruling dispensation.
As Union Minister Rajnath Singh gave his speech in the Lok Sabha session, one could see Gandhi dozing off in the back. The State Government is also providing medical care and compensation to the victims, he said. “They had recovered form their injuries and, therefore, they were discharged”, Dr Alpesh Vaishnani, in-charge resident medical officer of Junagadh civil hospital, said. “While Dalit protesters filed an FIR against some businessmen under sections of Atrocities Act, the businessmen also filed an FIR stating that a mob damaged property worth Rs 5 lakh yesterday”, police said.
The seat, be that as it may, declined the solicitation for adjournment and posted the matter for the date July 27 and said that no further adjournment will be conceded for the situation. He was preceded by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and NCP leader Praful Patel. He condemned the Una incident and urged political parties to unite over the issue.
“Can we say in all honesty that we have responded with sincerity to their pleas?”, Gandhi asked. And so far 17 people have been arrested. Bringing up Rohith Vemula suicide issue, Rahul linked the Hyderabad campus incident with suicide attempts by youths during the ongoing dalit protests in Gujarat. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad indirectly, but strangely, had stretched the argument to blame even the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Gandhi’s assassination.
The Dalit who killed himself was among the five persons from the community who tried to take their own lives in separate incidents in Gujarat.
“It is a pattern and we condemn it”, she said, adding that BJP may have suspended its Uttar Pradesh leader but other leaders have also been saying so in the past.
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He said there were hundreds of such attacks on the Dalits between 1991 and 1999, during the Congress rule.
