Stepping up his tirade against the BJP which he recently quit after being denied ticket, Udit Raj on Tuesday alleged a dalit can rise to any position in the saffron party only if he is "deaf and dumb".
Raj, who has joined the Congress, suggested that Ram Nath Kovind was nominated by the BJP to the president's post as he did not raise his voice in the party and added he was expressing his views "about a person and not making a comment on the office of President".
BJP wants dalits, not dalit leader. They would have made me prime minister if I had been deaf and dumb in the party. They want a deaf and dumb dalit and dalit votes but not a dalit leader, Raj, who was BJP MP from North-West Delhi, said at a press conference at Congress office here.
Mr Ram Nath Kovind came to me on 20 May 2014 with his biodata asking me to recommend him to the party so that he may get some position and recognition. I tried also. Anyways, after that he became governor and then president also , Raj said.
If a dalit is deaf and dumb in the BJP, he may reach any position. Earlier, they made (one dalit) the party's national president and now they have made a president, he said.
Also Read
However, he was quick to add that he was not commenting on the position of the president but referring to condition of dalits in the BJP.
Have I said anything wrong? Has he fought any fight for dalits? I am talking about a person and not making any comment on the institution (or position of the president). That (position) is honourable. This is my interpretation about the condition of Dalits, he told reporters when asked if his remarks could be construed as an insult to the President.
Hitting out at the BJP leadership, Raj said that it has shrunk to two persons.
He claimed that the country is not secure in the hands of BJP and alleged that "more soldiers were martyred during the Modi government rule as compared to previous Congress government".
Giving them a single vote is against the nation. The country is not safe and secure in their hands. There were inputs of threat before Pulwama attack and 350 kg RDX was moved but what was the intelligence doing? he asked.
He also accused the BJP of indulging in religious polarisation.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
