Yogi Adityanath threw him out for being Dalit: BJP MP to Modi; highlights

Chhote Lal reportedly complained that he was facing discrimination by the UP administration

A Dalit MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has complained to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

In an open letter to Narendra Modi, Chhote Lal Kharwar has complanied that he met the chief minister twice but received shabby treatment. 45-year-old Chhote Lal Kharwar represents the ruling party from Robertsganj constituncy in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha. 

Chhote Lal reportedly complained that he was facing discrimination by the administration. 

His allegation was against the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. He was allegedly "scolded and thrown out" from the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as he complained over a party-related problem. 
 

Facts:

1. In his letter, Chhote Lal mentioned the names of Yogi Adityanath, state BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and another leader, Sunil Bansal. 

2. The allegation: He complained that local party functionary helping Bahujan Samaj Party in block-level election. When he complained about it, the higher authority undermined his efforts. He said attempts were being made to induct the BSP rival into the BJP.

Chhote Lal allegedly said that he met BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey thrice "to save his dignity". He also met state BJP General Secretary Sunil Bansal and other party functionaries, but there was no help.

"So, I met the Chief Minister twice but did not get any help. I was scolded and shunted out," Chhotelal said.

BJP MP was allegedly threatened with a pistol by an opponent who used abusive, casteist language against him, but the police did not register a case.

"Tired of the lack of response, I wrote to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes," he said.

He expressed his anguish after his brother was voted out as the head of a block and claimed that it happened with the collusion of a BJP leader after the opposition BSP brought a no-confidence proposal against him, said Chhotelal. 

3. He has also complained to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Chhotelal said the apparent grudge was that a Dalit had been elected from a general seat. "I request you to protect the honour of Dalits and Adivasis...," he said in his letter to Modi. 

4. The parliamentarian said he thought after Adityanath came to power last year, the rampant corruption in the district administration and forest department in the Chandauli district near his constituency would finally come to an end but his own land was shown as encroached forest land by the administration.

5.  Dalits are not happy with Ambedkar Mahsabha's decision of awarding Yogi Adityanath with 'Dalit Mitra' (Friend of Dalits) award. Ambedkar Mahsabha's President Lalji Prasad Nirmal announced Adityanath's name as the recipient. 

Two founding members of Ambedkar Mahsabha, Harish Chandra and SR Darapuri decided to call a general meeting to take action against Nirmal, reported the Times of India. 

"There is immense anger among Dalits because of atrocities inflicted on them during Yogi's rule. Constituting an award and giving it to Yogi will only rub salt into their wound," Darapuri, a retired IPS, as quoted in TOI. 

6. The news emerged at a time when Bharatiya Janata Party faced massive Dalit protests across the country.  

Eleven people were killed on Monday in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan as dalit outfits turned violent in several parts of the country due to outrage over a Supreme Court ruling on atrocities against dalits. The protest turned violent in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh. At least 448 people were detained in Uttar Pradesh amid the nationwide bandh called by the several Dalits outfits over the dilution of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by the Supreme Court. 

7. The rate of crime against dalits increased more than eight times (746%) over the decade to 2016, reported IndiaSpend. There were 2.4 crimes per 100,000 dalits in 2006, rising to 20.3 in 2016, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of 2016 National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB) data. The rate of crime against adivasis or scheduled tribes grew by over 12 times (1,160%)–from 0.5 in 2006 to 6.3 in 2016. Dalits, or schedule castes, comprise 16.6% (201 million) of India’s population, up from 16.2% in 2001, according to Census 2011. Adivasis form 8.6% (104 million) of the country’s population, up from 8.2% over a decade, reports IndiaSpend
 

8. Earlier, BJP President Amit Shah said the central government would neither scrap the policy of reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities in education and jobs nor allow anyone to do so. Addressing a public meeting in Odisha, Shah said that "no one can dare to change" the reservation policy "as set by B R Ambedkar in the Constitution".

9. Congress says Modi government's duplicity on SC/ST Act exposed: On Dalit atrocities across the country, the Congress blamed that the Modi government's "duplicity" over the Supreme Court's refusal to stay its ruling on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had been exposed. "Modi government's 'double speak' and 'duplicity' on SC/ST Act exposed in Supreme Court!," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.  

10.  SC refuses to stay its order on SC/ST Act: Earlier, the Supreme Court said those agitating against its March 20 order putting in place certain safeguards on arrests under the SC/ST Act may not have read the judgement or could have been misled by "vested interests", as it refused to keep in abeyance the verdict. The apex court asserted that "no provisions of SC/ST Act have been diluted", while clarifying that additional safeguards had been put in place "to protect the fundamental rights" of innocents.

11. Congress would not allow any amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

"It is sad that the Union government did not rise to the occasion and delayed the matter until it spun out of control, resulting in violence earlier this week, leaving nine persons dead, many others injured and property worth crores of rupees damaged and gutted," a Congress leaders told IANS.

They further alleged that the amendment to the Act was brought through the apex court under a "well thought out political conspiracy" to deprive the SC and ST communities of their rights against suppression.

Dalits are not happy with Ambedkar Mahsabha's decision of awarding Yogi Adityanath with 'Dalit Mitra' (Friend of Dalits) award. Ambedkar Mahsabha's President Lalji Prasad Nirmal announced Adityanath's name as the recipient. 

Two founding members of Ambedkar Mahsabha, Harish Chandra and SR Darapuri decided to call a general meeting to take action against Nirmal, reported the Times of India. 

"There is immense anger among Dalits because of atrocities inflicted on them during Yogi's rule. Constituting an award and giving it to Yogi will only rub salt into their wound," Darapuri, a retired IPS, as quoted in TOI.