Congress and other members joined him, saying the incident only exposes the real face behind the “Gujarat model” being propagated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. RSS is trying for “dalit-mukt Bharat” (dalit-free India). The government totally failed.
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Meanwhile, Opposition led by Congress forced two adjournments of the Rajya Sabha in the pre-noon session over attacks of Dalits in Gujarat. What is going on?
“This agitation that has started in Gujarat will have implications for the larger effort by the BJP at the national level to try to reach out to the less privileged sections of society”, Dr Sandeep Shastri, pro vice-chancellor of Jain University in Bangalore, said.
Suresh claimed it was the BJP’s agenda to polarise communities before the state assembly elections slated by end of next year and alleged that the saffron party was doing it in all states ruled by it.
“The reason for all this is that, while Dalits have improved their economic status in past decades, the upper castes and the Patels in particular have been growing increasingly insecure”, said a veteran Gujarat-watcher.
“Land has always been central to atrocities against Dalits”.
Responding to the opposition charges, Singh said: “Our government will not tolerate any physical violence or verbal abuse against dalits”. He said nine people had been arrested. Expressing dissatisfaction over the Home Minister’s reply, Congress and TMC members staged a walkout. “We rushed to the spot and pleaded with folded hands to those men, asking them to stop beating our sons”, said Kuvarben Sarvaiya, Balubhai’s wife.
The Gujarat government has ordered a CID-Crime Branch inquiry, formation of a special designated court in consultation with the high court and filing of a chargesheet in 60 days in the case of assault on the four Dalits.
Senior CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury charged the government with inventing “new avenues for attacks on Dalits” ever since it rose to power in 2014.
The Communist Party of India Marxist has also issued a statement condemning the incident and have demanded action.
In front of a large crowd, they were stripped, tied to a vehicle and beaten with belts and iron rods. In this context, he said that the perpetrators of the incident in Una were so emboldened with the feeling that no action would be taken against them that they even made a video of the torture and released it online.
The Congress party’s vice president Rahul Gandhi is set to visit the Una, Gujarat on Thursday.
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Attacking BJP over Una Dalits assault incident, CPI (M) today asked the Gujarat government to disband cow protection committees and crack down on rabid communal outfits purveying “anti-Dalit” and “anti-Muslim” sentiments.
