In a desperate attempt to woo the dalit vote bank, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted BSP chief Mayawati, accusing her of suppressing the dalit leadership and doing nothing to alleviate the condition of the community. The Congress leader did not spare the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre either and blamed it for the death of dalit student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad. He was addressing a ‘Dalit concalve’ at Congress headquarters at Mall Avenue on Thursday evening.
Taking on BSP chief Mayawati, a key contender for the CM’s post in the state, Gandhi said that the BSP supremo had done everything to tighten the grip over power that too at the cost of dalits using the community merely as a vote bank.
“Kanshi Ramji was a much more accomplished leader than Mayawati. Mayawati did not utilise the platform provided by Kanshiramji for alleviating the plight of the dalits. She did not encourage dalit leadership to take shape within the BSP so that she could have a firm grip over the affairs,” charged Gandhi.
Rahul alleged that the BSP chief ‘crushed and suppressed’ emerging dalit leaders. “Mayawati failed to ensure proper benefits to the dalits. She did not promote young dalit leaders when she became the Chief Minister. She tried to crush and suppress Dalit leadership and attempted to concentrate all power unto herself,” Gandhi alleged.
Claiming that dalit youths were now ‘frightened’ of Mayawati’s leadership, Gandhi said that this presents an opportunity before the Congress. He said his party wants to give these disillusioned youths, the space to transform UP.
“Congress has a big opportunity since Dalits have now started raising questions as to why their conditions have not improved in the last ten years. We want to invite you (Dalit youths) to Congress and give you powers because you have not progressed the way you should have,” Gandhi said while claiming that his party was going to form the government after the next Assembly polls.
Worth menioning is the fact that the Congress once supported Mayawati and even helped her to form government in UP in the mid-90’s. But now it has seemingly realised that promoting Mayawati led to the erosion of a big chunk of dalit vote bank from the Congress which pushed them to political wilderness for almost three decades.
Charging the BJP with communalisation of higher education, Gandhi said that the Centre is promotion RSS ideology in institutions and most vice-chancellors of Central Universities have a RSS link. He blamed the NDA government for commercialisation of Higher education with the aim to deprive the poor and down-trodden of education.
“Modiji talks of the Gujarat Model. But when the Patel community are now ptotesting for being kept away from education and employement in Gujarat, how will the dalits and poor get justice under Modi’s regime. The BJP government is just working for the Corporate houses,” Gandhi stressed.
The Congress leader pointed out, “Modi said in Parliament that the MGNAREGA to show expose the kind of programmes run by the UPA government. But Arun Jaitley told me that MGNAREGA was a good scheme and supported the poor.”
On his visit to dalit homes, Rahul said, “BJP men termed my visit as ‘dhong’ (drama). But let me tell them that a true Congressmam is concerned for the poor...they (BJP) will not understand it.”
Meanwhile members of the BJP’s Yuva Morcha clashed with Congress workers after the former were stopped from showing black flags and raising slogans against Rahul Gandhi at Pakri ka Pul on VVIP Road while he was heading for the party office from airport. The situation was brought under control by the cops who cane charged and chased away the trouble makers.