Following the recent controversy surrounding rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Sunday asked dalits not to support self-styled godmen like Ram Rahim and instead follow BR Ambedkar’s ideology.
The Union Minister, who is a prominent leader from the community, also asked political parties not to go to “bhondu babas” such as Ram Rahim after knowing the reality.
“Ram Rahim has been exposed, dalits should not support him. One can have faith in somebody, but it should not be a blind one, said Athawale while talking to the mediapersons here.
The Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment appealed to dalits to pursue the ideology of Ambedkar.
The 50-year-old dera chief was jailed for 20 years in two rape cases by a special CBI court last month. Ram Rahim, who is lodged at Rohtak’s Sunaria jail, has a huge number of followers in Punjab and Haryana and other parts of the country, and many of them are dalits.
The conviction led to widespread violence in which 41 people died in Haryana.
Dera supporters should not have resorted to violence after Ram Rahim was convicted in the rape cases on August 25. It was not right to take the law into one’s own hand for the characterless baba after he was convicted, said the Union Minister.
He also condemned the attack on the media fraternity in Gurugram on Sunday and urged that laws be made for the protection of journalists in the country.
The media were on Sunday lathi-charged by the Haryana Police during the coverage of a protest being carried outside Gurugram’s Ryan International School, where a seven-year-old child was murdered inside the school premises on Friday.
The media was also attacked earlier in August following the conviction of Ram Rahim.
Asserting that media protection is necessary, Athawale suggested that a commission be set up exclusively to look into the hardships faced by journalists.
“The attack on the media was reported in Sirsa and Panchkula last month. I will speak to Chief Minister Manohar lal about this. I would also like to appeal to all states to create laws to protect journalists. Additionally, the Centre must also look into the formation of a commission in this regard,” he added.