Irked over the “honeymoon remarks” made by the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, the Chamar Maha Sabha on Sunday staged a protest. Around 200 Sabha activists marched through the city starting from Guru Ravidas Mandir, and burnt the effigy of Ramdev near the bus stand.
“The Scheduled Castes community has been quite disturbed ever since Ramdev remarked that Congress national vice president Rahul Gandhi has been ‘going around to Dalit bastis for honeymoon and picnic’. The Sabha condemns the remark and considers it an insult to the Dalit community,” said Sabha president Paramjit Singh Kainth. “Even the clarification given by Ramdev that what he meant was ‘political honeymoon’ is also misleading. That expression does not apply to the situation. Ramdev is trying to be over-smart to wriggle out of a tight spot,” said Kainth.
Questioning Congress’ silence, Kainth said: “On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has not given a single comment on the ‘honeymoon’ remark, while he has been making big speeches about Dalits in his rallies. This silence on the part of the Congress is intriguing and reflects non-seriousness of the part vis-à-vis the Dalit community,” added Kainth. “We also condemn the Punjab government for giving the ‘special guest’ status to Ramdev,” added Kainth.