'Mosquitoes bite all night at Dalit homes,' says UP education minister

Lucknow: Though the BJP, with its Dinner-with-Dalits programme, is trying hard to reach out to the community, its ministers are embarrassing the party, one after another.

On Friday, one more minister has sparked a controversy while talking about visiting Dalit homes and braving mosquito bites to ensure the people receive government benefits.

When Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Anupma Jaiswal was asked about the controversy on minister Suresh Rana's visit to a Dalit household she said, “Schemes are made for benefit all sections and to ensure proper implementation. Ministers are paying several visits, even if mosquitoes bite them all night.”

She further said that the ministers felt “satisfied” after visiting Dalits in villages and staying at their homes despite the inconveniences.

“Most importantly they feel good by the experience. If someone has been assigned two places, he says no, I want to go to four. Thus when there is satisfaction in work, it empowers us. Even I am visiting more houses than allotted to me," Jaiswal added.

Recently, two more BJP ministers have caused embarrassment to the party amid BJP’s Dalit outreach programme.

Suresh Rana, a minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet triggered a controversy after he reportedly brought with him his own food and water at a dinner hosted at a Dalit household at Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh.

Another minister, Rajendra Pratap Singh, reportedly compared BJP leaders to Lord Ram. He said the way Lord Ram blessed Shabari (a Dalit) by eating his berries, BJP leaders were also blessing Dalits by going to their homes.