WARANGAL: While Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that atrocities against Dalits had increased by 66 per cent in the last four years after BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Centre, his party leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar asked people of Telangana to question Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao as to why did he fail to make a Dalit the first chief minister of the State. “Time has come to teach KCR a befitting lesson. We should strive to make a Dalit chief minister of Telangana,”she said, even as Kharge wanted the people of the country to defeat the BJP-led NDA in the next general polls.
‘Dalita Girijana Simhagarjana’ public meeting organised by Madiga Reservation Porata Samthi (MRPS) and various Dalit and tribal outfits on Sunday paved way for leaders of opposition parties from across the country to hurl fireworks at the Narendra Modi government.
Alleging that there has been a four fold rise in atrocities against Dalits after Modi came to power at the Centre, leaders of various political parties and Dalit organisations expressed the need to defeat the BJP in the 2019 polls. They demanded that the Centre immediately bring in an ordinance to restore the status quo of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. They also urged the Union government to include the Act in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.
“Every 15 minutes an atrocity against a Dalit is taking place in the country. Every week 12 Dalits are being killed and at least six women are losing their lives daily. Weaker sections and minorities are being targeted. It is high time that all anti-BJP forces come together and fight against the vicious plans of the RSS,” Kharge said. He further added, “The government is deliberately delaying the matter of SC/ST Atrocities(Prevention) Act.”
Meira Kumar accused Modi government of hatching a conspiracy against Dalits, tribal, minorities and poor. “Now the BJP is attacking Dalits and tribals. Soon they will target Minorities and the poor. Efforts should be made to throw them out of power,” she stated.Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh chief Prakash Ambedkar stated that the Atrocities Act had been made toothless. Telangana Jana Samithi founder M Kodandaram and TDP TS unit president L Ramana also attended the meeting.