BJP, RSS want to keep dalits at ‘bottom of society’: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on BJP over the Bhima-Koregaon violence in Pune, Maharashtra, saying they want a vision of India where Dalits remain at the bottom of Indian society.

Taking to Twitter Mr Gandhi said, “A central pillar of the RSS/BJP’s fascist vision for India is that dalits should remain at the bottom of Indian society. Una, Rohith Vemula and now Bhima-Koregaon are potent symbols of the resistance.”

On Monday, an event to mark 200th anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district, in which forces of the East India Company defeated Peshwa’s army, saw an outbreak of riots with stone-pelting and vandalism that led to the death of one person. The situation remains tense with dalit groups calling a statewide bandh to protest the killings.

The Congress has been accusing the BJP governments in the states and Centre of being anti-dalit. The incidents like suicide of dalit scholar Vemula at Hyderabad Central University, attacks over the Ambedkar Periyar study circle in IIT-Madras, flogging of dalits in Una Gujarat and attacks on dalits in Saharanpur UP have been flagged by the Congress on many times.

In the Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress allowed dalit activist Jignesh Mevani to contest on its seat.

Interestingly, Mr Mevani was also scheduled to address the gathering in Pune.