CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday charged the BJP with trying to divide the society on caste lines, asserting he would not allow that party to impose its “vicious agenda” on the state.
The BJP had on Thursday organized ‘Dalit Insaf Yatra’ in Jalandhar to protest against alleged atrocities on the Scheduled Caste community and over a scam in a scholarship scheme for post-matric Scheduled Caste students. The police stopped the yatra from Jalandhar to the CM’s residence in Chandigarh, saying the organizers did not have the permission.
“I will not let them disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab at any cost. The BJP had no moral right to talk about Dalit rights, which they had been brazenly trampling wherever they are in power,” said the CM.
He pointed to the shocking statistics that showed that Uttar Pradesh, under BJP rule, accounts for over 25% of total cases of atrocities against SC communities in the country, and had recorded the highest number of such incidents in 2018. “Is this your definition of justice for Dalits? Is this what you are offering to the SC people of Punjab?’’ questioned the CM.