New Delhi, August 01: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Sunday that atrocities on Dalits are less in Congress rule compared to other’s rule. But Congress can not become a strong party with out the support of Dalits.
We all want Congress to become a principal party in India, especially Tamil Nadu. But that cannot be achieved without the support of Dalits,” he said at a function here to
mark the joining of expelled BSP leader K Selvam and his supporters in Congress.
Dalits constituted a major share in the population and if they were rejected and their rights denied, there was no point in India being an independent nation, he said.
Whenever Congress digressed from focussing on Dalit issues or when Dalit leaders left the party, atrocities against Dalits had raised its head. This is a fact. To make
India powerful and prosperous, we need Dalits’ support,” he said.
Saying that the likes of Dalit icons such as Babasaheb Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram could bring in changes since they were in the Congress, Chidambaram exhorted members of the community to join the party and become leaders.
—-Agencies