Amit Shah hits back at Rahul over Congress 'insults' to dalits

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Thursday asked Congress president Rahul Gandhi to look at facts when “free from winking” after the latter accused the ruling party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having an “anti-dalit” mindset. Mr Gandhi, participating at a protest organised by dalit organisations over the alleged dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, alleged that the PM, BJP and RSS did not want dalits to have a share in education and the nation’s progress, and claimed that Mr Modi’s thinking is anti-dalit. Hitting back, the BJP chief alleged that it was the Opposition party that had a legacy of insulting dalits.

In a series of tweets, Mr Shah said the PM’s legacy includes the “strongest amendments to the SC/ST Act” and setting up the OBC Commission, while the Congress legacy was about insulting dalit leaders, opposing the Mandal Commission report and blocking a move to empower the OBC body.

Asking Mr Gandhi to spend some time on facts “when you are free from winking and disrupting Parliament”. Mr Shah asserted that the NDA government had ensured the strongest amendment to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He was referring to Mr Gandhi’s wink in Lok Sabha after hugging Mr Modi in the no-confidence motion debate against the government.

Mr Gandhi claimed the BJP will be defeated in 2019 and a government for dalits, weaker sections, tribals and farmers will be formed. He also said the Atrocities Act was brought by the Congress and the party would protect it together with the people.

Countering him, the BJP chief said it would have been good if the Congress leader had spoken about his party’s treatment of Bhim Rao Ambedkar, Babu Jagjivan Ram and Sitaram Kesari. “The Congress way of treating dalits is patronising and condescending. For years the Congress insulted dalit aspirations,” Mr Shah said. He asked whether it was a coincidence that the year Sonia Gandhi joined the Congress, the Third Front-Congress government opposed reservations in promotions and the year Rahul Gandhi became party president, it opposed a tough SC/ SCT Act and the OBC Commission. “Mr Rahul Gandhi, expecting research and honesty is difficult from you, but do read Mr Rajiv Gandhi’s speech during Mandal (row), when he opposed it (the recommendations) tooth and nail. The sense of entitlement and hatred for backward communities comes out so clearly. And today you talk about dalit welfare!” he added.