Delhi/Lucknow: The count of Dalit lawmakers from the BJP hitting out against their own government for what they call discrimination against Dalits has gone up to four, including three from Uttar Pradesh, a state the party swept in the 2014 general elections and the assembly polls last year.
The latest entrant to the list -- Ashok Kumar Dohrey, who represents Etawah in Lok Sabha -- has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that there have been a series of arrests of Dalits after Monday's violence in western Uttar Pradesh in which two Dalit boys were killed.
"Dalits are being targeted by the police and false cases are being registered against them. Innocent people are being pulled out of their homes and beaten, caste slurs are being hurled at them," Mr Dohrey wrote in his letter.
On Monday, Dalits groups across the country protested against a Supreme Court order that they fear weakened a law that protects them from atrocities. Violence during the protests killed at least 11 people across several states.
Mr Dohrey's complaint came a day after another Dalit lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh, Chhote Lal Kharwar, wrote to the Prime Minister, alleging that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath threw him out when he tried to flag corruption in mining contracts and caste-based discrimination in his area. Mr Kharwar is the parliamentarian from Robertsganj.
Earlier this week, Savitri Bai Phule, the BJP lawmaker from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh launched a sharp attack against the government over Dalit issues.
During the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including all the 17 reserved seats in the state.
On a day, the BJP celebrated its 38th foundation day, party chief Amit Shah sought to allay fears expressed by the Dalit community.
The BJP will neither abolish reservation nor change the law that seeks to prevent atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, Mr Shah said at a rally in Mumbai.
The latest entrant to the list -- Ashok Kumar Dohrey, who represents Etawah in Lok Sabha -- has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that there have been a series of arrests of Dalits after Monday's violence in western Uttar Pradesh in which two Dalit boys were killed.
"Dalits are being targeted by the police and false cases are being registered against them. Innocent people are being pulled out of their homes and beaten, caste slurs are being hurled at them," Mr Dohrey wrote in his letter.
Mr Dohrey's complaint came a day after another Dalit lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh, Chhote Lal Kharwar, wrote to the Prime Minister, alleging that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath threw him out when he tried to flag corruption in mining contracts and caste-based discrimination in his area. Mr Kharwar is the parliamentarian from Robertsganj.
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During the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 71 of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, including all the 17 reserved seats in the state.
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The BJP will neither abolish reservation nor change the law that seeks to prevent atrocities against scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, Mr Shah said at a rally in Mumbai.
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