Hailing poet-saint Valmiki for authoring epic Ramayana, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday said Valmiki “worked for samajik samrasta (social harmony) and uplift of Dalits without seeking publicity” a
Hailing poet-saint Valmiki for authoring epic Ramayana, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday said Valmiki “worked for samajik samrasta (social harmony) and uplift of Dalits without seeking publicity” and that social harmony is the essence of India’s socio-culture since many centuries.
At a time when the BJP has been eyeing for the Dalit votes ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP president also remembered ‘Dalit icon’ B.R. Ambedkar and said the Constitution framed by Ambedkar ensures that every individual gets equal rights and opportunities to move forward.
Valmiki is a Dalit community, which is considered as a significant votebank, including in Uttar Pradesh where the BJP has been out of power since 2002. With an eye on the UP elections and the Dalit votebank, the BJP started many Dalit outreach initiatives including the just concluded Dhamma Chetna Yatra.
On the eve of Valmiki Jayanti, Mr Shah said the Narendra Modi government is working towards providing equal opportunities for all and has dedicated all its schemes to Dalits and the poor to help better their socio-economic conditions.
“The government led by the PM is working for Dalits, backwards, tribals and the poor. Take any ministry or department, you will see that the first five schemes are dedicated to the poor, dalits, backwards and oppressed,” Mr Shah said at the event at the BJP headquarters. He said everyone could achieve greatness by drawing inspiration from Valmiki’s life.
“Ramayana is not merely a eulogy of Lord Rama but is an instrument of giving the message of importance of Indian culture to the world. Through the Ramayana, Valmiki gave the message that in the end, the victory will be of truth, notwithstanding how strong or clever the untruth is,” he said.
The BJP president said Maharishi Valmiki worked silently for social harmony and the uplift of dalits all his life. “Valmiki believed that all are alike and one need not say this as it is embedded in the Indian culture,” said Mr Shah.
Dalits, tribals, backwards, poor and youth are there in all the schemes of the BJP-led government at the Centre led by Narendra Modi,” he said.
Among those who attended the event were Union minister Thawarchand Gehlot, party general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, party’s SC Morcha incharge Dushyant Gautam and national spokespsron Bijay Sonkar Shastri.
