It’s been 13 years of the BJP-led State Government but the Dalits and the people of the backward castes of the State are still victims of racial discrimination and social inequality,” alleged Congress legislator Jitu Patwari in a letter to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanding protection of the rights of the Dalits and the backwards.
Patwari told the Chief Minister that the Congress has always been active for the rights of the dalits and the people of the backward castes but the BJP has always refuted the reports of dalit harassment by extending false and imaginary data.
The data and the information gathered through a survey of nine thousand villages accomplished by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has confirmed that social evils such as racial discrimination and social inequality still prevails in the state, he added.
Patwari said that the dalits are not allowed to enter temples, crematoriums and public roads in 35 to 40 per cent villages of the state.
In many villages, Dalits are not even allowed to get water from the wells of the villages. Incidents happened in Bundelkhand, Narsinghpur, Dhar and Shivpuri reveals the true condition of the state regarding the dalits and social equality.
Patwari further said that the dalit officers and the employees of the state government have also been harassed. IAS Ramesh Thete and Shashi Karnawat are the living examples of the social inequality prevailed in the state. The people of the upper castes have stopped selling materials to the dalit community in Narsinghpur district. The people of the upper castes are also threatening the women of the dalit community.
Patwari through the letter demanded that the Chief Minister should take strict action against dalit discrimination and exploitation and should work for the upliftment of the dalit community.