The Congress leader cites the very low rate of conviction of the guilty in cases of atrocities on Dalits and tribals
NEW DELHI – The Congress on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the BJP government in Gujarat over the atrocities being committed on Dalits and weaker sections.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters here, Congress MLA from Vadgam constituency in Gujarat, Jignesh Mevani, said the BJP-RSS people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah do not believe in Babasaheb Ambedkar’s constitution; rather, they believe in the values of Manusmriti.
Mevani reminded that the RSS-BJP leaders have said on record to “Throw Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution into the sea” as they did not want the Constitution of India, but Manusmriti. He said, Manusmriti runs in the veins of the BJP-RSS leaders.
As a result of this thinking, he pointed out, copies of the Constitution were burnt on the streets of Delhi, Rohit Vemula was forced to commit suicide, the family of Hathras rape victim was not allowed to see her one last time and Dalit youths were brutally beaten in Una, Gujarat. He also referred to Amit Shah’s derogatory remarks about Dr Ambedkar in the parliament.
Referring to several incidents in Gujarat, the Congress leader said that a 19-year-old Dalit youth was publicly murdered in Amreli, and a Dalit elder was burnt alive in Patan. Besides, AK-47 bullets were fired at Dalit boys who were going to file a complaint of atrocities in Surendranagar district. He also cited the horrifying case of gang-rape of a Dalit girl for 11 days in Santrampur district, in which three BJP leaders were involved.
Mevani revealed how the first FIR that included the name of BJP leaders was torn up by the police sub-inspector and the ASI along with the pages of the station diary and the guilty police personnel were let off with a fine of only Rs 3,000.
The Congress leader also cited the very low rate of conviction of the guilty in cases of atrocities on Dalits and tribals. He said that at the national level, this figure is 30-35 percent, while in Gujarat it is only three to five percent, which means that 95 percent of the criminals get away after committing atrocities.
The Congress leader targeted the inaction of the BJP government in the state. He also strongly criticised Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel for attending the event of the accused instead of meeting the Dalit youth who was abducted and tortured in Rajkot’s Gondal.
Describing the Gujarat Public Service Commission as a bastion of casteism, he said that Dalit, OBC and tribal students are discriminated against and are deliberately given low marks in interviews.
Mevani said that the Congress party is planning for a big demonstration in August-September against atrocities on Dalits, tribals and weaker sections in Gujarat.
