Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday wondered as to how come Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not have a single word of sympathy for the Dalit boys, who were beaten blue in his home State Gujarat recently, during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address to the nation.
Taking a jibe at Modi saying that South Africa visit was like a “teerth-yatra” (pilgrimage) for him as he had an opportunity to meet the people who struggled for equality, Capt Amarinder suggested to him, “You better take another ‘teerth-yatra’ to Una town in your home State and meet those Dalit boys and others, who are not only struggling, but continue to suffer every day of their life.” “As they say, charity begins at home and it does not suit anyone better than you in the current circumstances since this is happening in your home state, Gujarat, which you ruled for 12 years and which eventually propelled you to the position that you currently hold,” he added.
Capt Amarinder said Modi wanted every Indian to celebrate the Independence Day ceremoniously. “That every Indian is already doing for the last 69 years and nobody needs to be reminded about that,” he said, while asking, “But, what about those who are feeling frightened and threatened like those Dalit boys of Gujarat, and with them many millions more.”
Capt Amarinder told Modi either he was ignorant about what is happening inside the country or he was deliberately chose not to condemn the series of incidents of atrocities on Dalits “for the reasons best known to you...otherwise, how could one ignore such an important issue that has shaken the conscience of the nation that too in the recent past”.
Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha said while the PM talked about innovating technology, he should also have talked about “innovating and liberating the sectarian and parochial mindsets which do not see fellow human beings as humans”.
“Culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is good but what about the culture of tolerance and harmony which we seem to be losing fast thanks to your silence about the violence by vigilante groups who have unleashed a reign of terror on Dalits and minorities”, he told the PM while referring to his aim of building up “culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country”.