Mumbai, Oct 29 (PTI) Union minister Ramdas Athawale todaysuggested that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi marry aDalit woman, saying casteism cannot be removed merely byhaving meals with the community.
Gandhi (47) had recently said, in answer to a question,that he believed in destiny when it came to marriage.
"This is an old question. I believe in destiny. 'Jabhogi, tab hogi' (It will happen when it does)", he had said.
The Dalit leader who heads the Republican Party of India(Athavale), an ally of the BJP-led NDA, said he could helpfind a match for the Congress scion.
"He (Gandhi) goes to houses of Dalit people occasionallyand eats with them. I think he should marry a Dalit woman. Ifneeded, I will help finding one (match) for him," the ministerof state for social justice told reporters in Akola in eastMaharashtra.
Athawale said he had no intention to insult Gandhiregarding his marriage plans.
"I have no intention to insult him, but I'm proposing it(inter-caste marriage) to present a model before the country.
I have personally married a Brahmin girl which is in the linewith B R Ambedkar's solution to dismantle caste barriers. It(uprooting casteism) cannot be achieved only by eatingtogether," the minister said.
Responding to a query, Athawale said Gandhi had changedrecently as far as his leadership calibre was concerned.
"He is not 'Pappu' anymore. He looks confident andhopefully can be a good leader," the Dalit leader said,referring to the nickname with which Gandhi was often mockedby a section on social media.
Interestingly, another NDA constituent, the Shiv Sena,had recently said that Gandhi had the capability to lead thecountry. PTI ND NSKAAR.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.