A BJP dalit MP cautioned the party Sunday that the recent attacks on dalits across India “will have a bearing” on the Assembly elections in 2017 and said he would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to
A BJP dalit MP cautioned the party Sunday that the recent attacks on dalits across India “will have a bearing” on the Assembly elections in 2017 and said he would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure the rule of law prevails. “Any social or political incident (like these) has a bearing and will have a bearing (on the election),” said Udit Raj, BJP MP. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh are due to hold polls next year.
“We will take up the issue aggressively in Parliament. I will urge the Prime Minister, the party, all chief ministers, Akhileshji, Jayalalithaa... to take up the matter strongly,” he told reporters at the end of a national conference of an SC/ST confederation that he heads. Mr Raj refused to comment on the BJP’s stand on the issue, only saying that “its reaction is not bad”.
The MP attacked the Congress, and alleged the rule of law was not established during its “long regime”.
Mr Raj said incidents like the recent one in Gujarat’s Una, where some dalit youths were targeted for skinning a dead cow, were due to the “mindset” of people.
