Lucknow: The BJP’s dalit outreach in Uttar Pradesh seems to be going on the wrong track with photographs of a minister having a meal at a dalit home where food was ordered from a restaurant going viral on the social media.
According to reports, UP minister Suresh Rana visited a dalit home in Aligarh for dinner without informing the family.
“I was surprised to see the minister and his men trooping into my house around 11 pm. I had no information about their visit. However, there was no problem because they had arranged for everything from outside — food, mineral water and even cutlery,” Rajnish Kumar, whose house Mr Rana visited on Tuesday night, said on Wednesday.
The dinner was lavish, according to the family. “There was palak paneer, chhole, dal makhni, pulao, tandoori roti and gulab jamun along with salad and raita,” he said.
The minister, however, strongly denied and said that he ordered food only because there were several people accompanying him and he did not wish to add to the burden of the host family.
“It is not about food. I ate food collectively prepared by them and I also had breakfast with them in the morning”, the minister told a news agency.
It may be recalled that earlier this month, the BJP had asked its ministers and legislators to spend at least a night in villages where there are 50 per cent or more dalits. This is a part of the party dalit outreach and also aimed at assuaging the feeling of dalits who are hurt over the dilution in the SC/ST Act.
