Congress questions PM’s silence on dalit attacks

On Wednesday, following the BSP-led uproar in Rajya Sabha over the beating up of of two Muslim women in Madhya Pradesh on the suspicion of carrying beef, deputy leader of Congress in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma, asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remained mute on the attacks on dalits in the name of ‘Gau Raksha’.

“He has done ‘chai pe charcha’ and ‘maan ki baat’, but why not on this issue,” he asked. His concern was echoed by his party members and one of them was heard saying: “Yahi hai PM ke mann ki bat.”

Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P.J. Kurien said derailing Zero Hour, where 13 members have given notices, was not right. If members wanted a discussion on the subject, they should give notice, he said.

“I am not saying that the issue raised by Kumari Mayawati is not important. I will ask the government to respond,” he said urging Ms Mayawati and Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad to call back their members from the Well of the House.

Mr Azad said his Congress party was not principally against cow protection but was against targeting of dalits and Muslims in the name of gau raksha.

“Let it be very clear. We are not against gau raksha. But in the garb of gau raksha, targeting dalits and Muslims is something we are against,” he said.

As members returned to their seats, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, violence in any form and in any state is condemnable. “We don’t justify in anyway violence against dalits or women,” the minister who also holds minority affairs portfolio, said, adding that the Madhya Pradesh government has taken action and registered a case. The government, he said, was committed to development and building confidence among dalits and Muslims.