While reacting to the statement of Dr. Manohar Lal Sharma, a former minister & Senior leader of Congress, that BJP was trying to suppress voice of Dalits and down trodden members of the society, BJP State Spokesperson, Balbir Ram Rattan said that Congress leader need to do self introspection. The treatment meted to Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar and atrocities committed on the Dalits during the Congress rule at the centre and in the states forced the isolation of the Dalits from the Congress Party and gave rise to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), itself shows how much concern Congress had for Dalits. As far Dayashanker episode, the Spokesperson made it clear that the BJP acted swiftly to not only condemn the act but also expelled him from the party but what Congress has to say on public abuses made by BSP leaders and its cadre against the mother, wife and sister of Dayashanker.
Balbir said that BJP, right from the time of its birth, remained engaged in the upliftment of SCs, STs and down trodden people and worked hard to win the confidence of these communities. That is the reason the most of its leaders belong to these communities and BJP both in the states, including J&K and at the Centre, has maximum number of MPs and MLAs belonging to SC communities. Whereas in Congress most of the leaders and their MPs and MLAs belong to so called upper castes and there is very less representation of SC communities in the party structure as well as in the Parliament and Assemblies.
Elaborating his point, he said that the basic economic philosophy of BJP is based on the principal of “Antodaya” as propagated by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, which aims at reaching the last man in the row without any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion. Various schemes lanched by Modi government in last 2 years target this segment of the population, which remained neglected during all the previous Congress governments. He further said that the Narendra Modi has adopted the line of “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas” which further strengthens the BJP’s core principle of justice to all and appeasement to none.
Balbir advised the Congress leaders not to play politics in the name of Dalits as this community is well informed today and can differentiate as to who is really committed towards them “The BJP has maximum MPs and MLAs across the country and in Jammu and Kashmir also it won all the seven reserved seats in the assembly”, Balbir said and added that it is itself endorsement of the fact that people want to get associated with BJP and reject Congress, which always indulged in vote bank politics.
