“There can not be a more direct censure by the Prime Minister in expressing his displeasure to what anti-social elements are doing in the name of gau raksha”, he said. He also went a step further to direct all state governments to prepare a dossier on people indulging in such activities and keep a close watch on them. “Our gau rakshaks are sacrificing their lives to save cows and Modi ji has termed them as criminals, who run shops…”
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The prime minister repeatedly asked the Gau Rakshaks to shun violence against Dalits, totally ignoring similar attacks on Muslims.
Voicing concern over incidents of cow vigilantism, he again called for isolating and punishing the fake “gau rakshaks” as a handful of such people were destroying the social fabric and creating conflict in the society.
At Gajwel, while he lauded the initiatives taken by Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during last two years, at the BJP workers meeting in Hyderabad, he said the party would make the state’s future bright.
“The third world war will start over a cow”, Mr Giri added, in remarks to the Indian Express newspaper on Monday.
Some people are pricked by our welfare programmes for the Dalits as other governments did not do anything and they are trying to politicise.
Modi also said at times some incidents come to notice which give us “unbearable pain”. “If you want to shoot anyone, shoot me, not my Dalit brothers”, he declared while speaking in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on August 07.
CPI leader D Raja also criticised the government, saying there were issues on which the people expect the Prime Minister to speak, such as increasing atrocities on Dalits.
Hindu leaders reject the BJP’s stand of fighting polls exclusively on a development agenda and say in the rough-and-tumble of Indian elections, caste combinations and religious affinities will dominate. “This is a classic example of the political bankruptcy of the opposition”, he said. Those who are engaged in violence against Dalits, they are anti-Hindu.
At a time when Assembly elections in half-a-dozen states are approaching, Dalit discord could cost the BJP dearly. They are anti-Hindutva, they are anti-national. In 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, the NCRB recorded 47,064 such cases. Gujarat has witnessed a string of violent protests over this issue, with dalits demanding stringent action against the cow vigilantes.
Kharge’s remark that all BJP leaders insist on describing the central government as “Modi Sarkar” and “not BJP Sarkar” drew laughter even from the Prime Minister.
“But this is how the party is playing the game”, he said.
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“They fear that if Dalits understood the welfare measures initiated for them by the BJP-led government, this party (BJP) can not be removed (from power) for 50 years, and it would end their divisive politics”, he added.
