Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned the heat on Uttar Pradesh’s outspoken Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan for his recent derogatory remarks on Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar.
Seeking his sacking from the state government, BSP supremo Mayawati said Azam Khan should seek an apology for “hurting the sentiments” of millions of Dalits across the country.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Mayawati expressed doubts that the statement of Khan could well be part of a “casteist mindset” of the ruling party and an “election ploy”, and added that while she did not expect kind words from the minister, by this statement he had crossed all limits of political propriety.
The state unit of the BJP held demonstrations against Khan at all district headquarters and submitted a memorandum to UP Governor Ram Naik.
IANS