New Delhi, Jaipur: With only a year to go before the crucial assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Dalits are occupying a key space in the radar of political parties. If the BJP has been keen on celebrating BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary, the Congress is joining the dots with instances of atrocities on Dalits.
In Uttar Pradesh, that goes to polls next year Dalits comprise 20 per cent of the voters and could well make a difference to any political party's political fortune.
On Wednesday, Congress vice president Raul Gandhi visited Rajasthan's Barmer and met the parents of a minor Dalit girl who had allegedly been raped and murdered by her school teacher.
Demanding that the case be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Mr Gandhi said, "She was a daughter of Hindustan... She was crushed and trampled on, just the way Rohith Vemula was crushed."
Linking the death to the suicide of the Dalit scholar from the Hyderabad University was a subtle message to the Dalit votebank of Uttar Pradesh.
The Bahujan Samaj Party, which has a large support base among Dalits, has already been vociferous about the suicide of Rohith Vemula, who had allegedly been victimised for his caste and punished by the University on the orders of Union Ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya.
Mr Gandhi's visit to Barmer took place two days after he was in Nagpur's Deekshabhumi, where Dr Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism. And he followed it up with an address at a Dalit convention in Jaipur.
The BJP, meanwhile, will mark Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary, April 14, as Samrasta Diwas -- a day dedicated to harmony and equality. On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi visit Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, Babasaheb's birthplace. The day will be celebrated in a big way in the BJP-ruled states.
"The Congress claims the scheduled castes are their votebank, but they have seen that vote just dissipate. That is why they are resorting to this kind of politics," said Rajendra Rathore, Rajasthan's minister for parliamentary affairs.
In Uttar Pradesh, that goes to polls next year Dalits comprise 20 per cent of the voters and could well make a difference to any political party's political fortune.
On Wednesday, Congress vice president Raul Gandhi visited Rajasthan's Barmer and met the parents of a minor Dalit girl who had allegedly been raped and murdered by her school teacher.
Linking the death to the suicide of the Dalit scholar from the Hyderabad University was a subtle message to the Dalit votebank of Uttar Pradesh.
Advertisement
Mr Gandhi's visit to Barmer took place two days after he was in Nagpur's Deekshabhumi, where Dr Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism. And he followed it up with an address at a Dalit convention in Jaipur.
Advertisement
"The Congress claims the scheduled castes are their votebank, but they have seen that vote just dissipate. That is why they are resorting to this kind of politics," said Rajendra Rathore, Rajasthan's minister for parliamentary affairs.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
BJP Accuses Congress Of Inciting Violence Against PM Modi With 'Maut' And 'Hinsa' Remarks Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report "Take Immediate Action": Rahul Gandhi On INDIA's Bihar Ally Brutal Murder World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Relationship Timeline Of Hardik Pandya, Wife Who "Parted Ways": 5 Facts Obama Tells Allies Biden Needs To Reconsider Re-Election Bid: Report Delhi University Inviting Applications For Course In Pali/Tibetan Hegemonistic Ambitions: Tibet PM-In-Exile On China Renaming Places In India 7 Killed, 3 Injured As Taxi Falls Into Roadside Well In Maharashtra: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.