Parmar, a prominent Dalit face of the BJP dispensation in Gujarat, claimed that this change was necessary to avoid any confusion while communicating with the Centre.
He also said the word Dalit was no longer preferred by the community, as several representations have been made, urging the government to avoid using the word in official communications, such as circulars, orders and notifications.
"Centre does not use Dalit in its official communication. They use Scheduled Castes. Many a times, it happens that we send a communication having the word Dalit in it. That creates confusion, as Dalit is not the official word," Parmar told PTI.
According to Parmar, many members of the community have also protested against the use of that word and made representation to replace it with the term Scheduled Castes.
"In the recent past, many people of the community made their representation and asked the government to stop using the word Dalit. They argued that it reveals their identity among others in the society," the minister said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content