The Congress has warned to take to streets against the apathy of the State Government in mitigating the plights of the Dalits in Odisha.
Attending a meeting of the Congress SC Cell here on Thursday, AICC general secretary and Odisha unit in-charge Dr Chella Kumar said, “Dalits are the soul of the Congress. Whenever oppression and injustice have grown against them, the Congress has fought for their rights.”
AICC secretary and Odisha co-Pravari G Rudra Raju and Congress SC Department national coordinator Hitendra Pithadiya alleged that the Central Government was not genuinely interested in the development of the Dalits and the funds coming under various schemes meant for them were being embezzled. “The Congress will not sit silent if the apathy against the Dalits continues,” they warned.
PCC president Niranjan Patnaik said the atrocity cases against the Dalit in Odisha were on the rise while the State Government had failed to bring the culprits to book.
The party will launch a State wide agitation in coming days for the fulfillment of the legitimate demands of the Dalit population, he warned. Former Minister Ganeswar Behera, Nakula Naik, Nimai Sarkar and Haladhar Sethi criticised the BJP Government at the Centre and the BJD Government in Odisha for their anti-Dalit policies.
Among others, Congress SC Cell members including Jayanta Bhoi, Duryodhan Behera, Ranjan Behera, Pratima Mallick opined to strengthen Congress by solving problems of the people at district and block levels.