The political fight for the Dalits' cause escalated today with Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having an "anti-Dalit" mindset and the BJP chief Amit Shah alleging the opposition party had a legacy of insulting the community.
Shah also hurled a jibe at Gandhi by asking him to look at facts when "free from winking", latching on to the Congress chief's wink at fellow party MPs in the Lok Sabha last month after hugging Modi during a debate on the no-confidence motion against the government.
Dalits are being openly beaten and crushed in states where the BJP is in power, Gandhi said in a scathing attack against the prime minister at a protest organised by Dalit organisations over the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
"Everything starts from intent. If he (Modi) would have had place for Dalits in his heart, then policies would have been framed differently. In Gujarat, he brought out a book of his speeches in which he wrote that Dalits get spiritual satisfaction out of cleaning. These lines throw light on his thinking and ideology," Gandhi told the rally at Jantar Mantar.
He alleged that the prime minister, the BJP and the RSS don't want Dalits to have a share in education and in progress of the nation.
Targeting Modi, Gandhi said, "His thinking is anti-Dalit. All Dalits and people from the weaker sections know that the prime minister has no place for Dalits in his heart and mind and wants to crush Dalits. That is why we are standing against him."
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