Caste violence in Mahrashtra had its reverberation in thelok Sabha on Wednesday with the Congress accusing the RSS andcertain Hindutva outfits of triggering it and demanding a probe by a Supreme Court judge into the clashes. It also questioned Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s “silence” over the incidents. The Government, in turn, accused the Opposition party of politicising the issue and taking political mileage over it. The Rajya Sabha was stalled over the subject and witnessed three adjournments during the day.
Taking up the issue in a strong way, Congress members trooped into the well of the lok Sabha and shouted slogans against the Government.
Raising the issue in the lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the latest wave of violence against Dalits in several parts of Maharashtra was continuation of similar incidents witnessed in other BJP-ruled States including Gujarat.
“The RSS and certain hardcore Hindutva outfits are behind the
violence. They are trying to drive a wedge between the Marathas and Dalits in Maharashtra,” Kharge alleged. Kharge also tore some papers he was holding when
BJP members stood up and protested his remarks and continued to shout.
“Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi silent on the issueIJ He always maintains silence on issues relating to Dalits. He has become a ‘Mauni Baba’ on Dalit issues,” he said.
At this stage, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar rejected the Congress’ charges and accused it of making a political capital out of it. “Congress wants to politicise the issue. The party suffered electoral drubbing in so many States in the recent past and that is why they want to gain political mileage over the issue,” Kumar alleged.
The Minister’s response led the Congress members into the Well of the House as they shouted ‘stop humiliating Babasaheb Ambedkar’, ‘stop dividing the country’ and ‘PM speak up’. “Similar violence against Dalits has been witnessed in so many States including in Gujarat and Maharastra. Wherever the BJP is in power, such violence against Dalits takes place,” said Kharge.
The Congress leader said Modi should come to the House and make a statement on the violence in Maharashtra. Kharge also alleged there were “some fascist forces” who do not want Dalits to come up saying that they were a harassed lot across the country.
Maharashtra remained on edge after the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune brought to fore simmering caste tensions which engulfed several other areas in the State. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged members to not to vitiate the situation in the affected areas and find solutions to various challenges in unison.