Dalits burn effigy of RSS leader

Abohar, January 22

Even as RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya had given a clarification on his statement quoting Dalit icon BR Ambedkar that ‘reservation is being used to fuel separatism’, hundreds of members of Bhartiya Balmiki Samaj and Safai Karamchari Union organised a protest and burnt his effigy this afternoon here.

Notably, Vaidya had backtracked post the massive furore on his comment, and stated that reservation is essential for the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. He had further asserted that the RSS was only against the reservation based on religion.

The protesters assembled at Balmiki Mandir in Sant Nagar, marched to Balmiki Chowk carrying an effigy of Vaidya and raised slogans against Vaidya and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Chief organiser Manak Shah, state co-convener, Bhartiya Balmiki Dharam Samaj and local unit president Ravi Bhatti said reservation was their right, they were not begging for it.

On reaching Guru Sain Bhagat Chowk, the protesters burnt the effigy and warned that any attempt to end reservation would trigger countrywide protests. — OC