Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramashanker Kateharia took a tacit dig at Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati saying that only time will tell, who will go to jail. He as speaking to mediamen at the VVIP Guest House in lucknow on Friday evening
Reacting sharply to Mayawati’s statement that had she been the CM of Uttar Pradesh, then Kateharia would have been in jail for his hate speech in Agra, Dr Kateharia said that the dalits have read through the vested interests of the BSP leader. Only time will tell as to who will go to jail,” he said. The Union minister however shied away from explaining his statement, saying that he was countyering the BSP chief’s charge.
“The people of the state made Mayawati the chief minister thrice so that she could uplift the condition of the dalits. But unfortunately she only chose to enrich and benefit herself and her family. In the process, the entire community was ignored,” the minister alleged. The BJP MP from Agra said that it was unfortunate that the BSP chief and even the SP government in UP are not concerned with the welfare of the dalits in the state.
“Mayawati claims to be concerned with the dalits of the country. Yet she failed to utter a word of sympathy on the murder of dalit VHP leader Arun Mahaur and Satyendra Jatav of Agra. Mayawati has always used the dalits as her vote bank and to sell Assembly and Parliament tickets,” he pointed out.
While admitting that he had sought apology for some statements made by other people during a condolence meeting in Agra recently, the Union minister said that the crime graph of the state has gone through t eh roof and the dalits have been the most harassed lot.
Katheria also said that BJP leaders are too saddened with the death of dalit scholar Rohit Vemula but such incidents should not be politicised for vested interest. “We condemned the killing of Iqhlaq in Dadri but never did politics over the issue,” he said.
Katheria was very critical of the Akhilesh Yadav government for paying discriminating in handing over compoensation on the basis of religion. “While VHP leader and dalit Arun Mahaur’s family was given Rs 10 lakhs as compensation and Satyendra Jatav was not even given a penny, the family of Iqhlaq in Dadri was showered with Rs 50 lakh, flat and job. This is brazen discrimination,” said the Union minister.