BENGALURU: Social Welfare Minister KH Muniyappa called for an impartial investigation into the Haldwani incident and action against those responsible. He said the government will not tolerate untouchability or caste-based humiliation. “We are committed to protecting the dignity of Dalits, safeguarding their constitutional rights and upholding social justice,” he said.
Responding to the issue raised by MLAs Sharath Bachegowda and Dr NT Srinivas during Zero Hour in the Assembly where legislators condemned the purification ritual conducted in Uttarakhand after AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a rally, Muniyappa said it was an insult to the Constitution. Muniyappa said caste discrimination has continued despite decades of constitutional and social progress.
Muniyappa said Kharge spoke about this in the Parliament. “Ambedkar had to fight for water, Jagjivan Ram had to face humiliation and today Kharge had to speak about his pain. This is a question concerning Indian society and the dignity of the Constitution,” he said.
“We do not need the purification of places, but we need the purification of minds,” he added.