In a bid to garner Dalit votes ahead of the Assembly elections, Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel on Sunday conducted a padyatra in Dalit-dominated colonies.
The march started from Ranjit Nagar and finished near Pandav Nagar, where Goel also spent the night with the Dalit community. The Delhi BJP claimed this was the first-of-its-kind visit by a leader of the party among the backward communities.
Addressing the people, Goel said Dalits, Balmikis and Scheduled Castes have been left in the lurch by policies of the Congress Government in Delhi. "The Delhi Government diverted Rs 744 crore from Special Component Plan (SCP), meant for the welfare of Dalits, to projects directly or indirectly linked to Commonwealth Games. The money ultimately reached the pockets of corrupt politicians and officials, who indulged in unabated loot of public money as revealed by investigators later on," he said.
Talking about his party's vision for the backward communities, Goel said, "After coming to power, the BJP will run special time-bound programmes to support and encourage higher education, skill building and employment-oriented training for the youth among Dalits, Balmikis and other backwards."