BJP’s love for Dalits and Ambedkar an eyewash: Congress

Dehradun : The Uttarakhand unit of Congress today alleged that BJP’s “new found” love for B R Ambedkar and compassion for Dalits is just an eyewash and a strategy to gain political mileage ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls.

“The sudden surge of love for Babasahab Bhimarao Ambedkar and compassion for Dalits in BJP is nothing more than just a poll stunt meant to mislead voters. Instead of this false demonstration, the party should tell people how many Dalits were given decision-making positions like that of a ‘sarsanghchalak’ in its parent organisation RSS,” state Congress chief spokesman Mathuradutt Joshi said.

“The only Dalit to lead the BJP was Bangaru Laxman but even his rise could not be digested by the party which suffers from an anti-Dalit mindset,” he said.

Accusing the BJP of only using Ambedkar’s name for political and electoral reasons, he said people are wise enough to see through the party’s gameplan and would not be taken in by the “false show”.

“No amount of singing paeans to Ambedkar or eating in a Dalit home is going to help the BJP,” he said.

He claimed that people in the country are well aware of the fact that the Dalits are suffering the most in BJP-ruled states.

“Enlightened people of the country have neither forgotten Rohith Vemula nor the atrocities perpetrated on Dalit youths in Gujarat,” he said.

PTI