Kejriwal only plays vote bank politics to get Dalit votes, says Congress leader

Former MP and Congress leader Udit Raj on Sunday appealed to the Dalit community in Delhi not to vote for the AAP, accusing former CM Arvind Kejriwal of being “anti-Dalit and anti-poor”. He alleged that while AAP has announced a scheme to provide a monthly honorarium to temple priests and gurdwara granthis, it left out priests of Valmiki and Ravidas temples.

In addition to accusing Kejriwal of having “misused the Dalit sentiments by making the broom as his party’s symbol to get their votes”, Raj alleged the AAP did no work for the welfare or upliftment of Dalits, or the education or employment of their children. “He only plays vote bank politics to get the votes of Dalits, backwards, poor and the marginalised,” Raj alleged.

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Hitting back, the AAP, in a statement, said that its government was the only one in the country “turning Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s dreams into reality” by prioritising quality education and empowerment for the Dalit community. “With the Mukhyamantri Jai Bhim Yojana, Dalit youth can dream big again, accessing free coaching for competitive exams,” the AAP stated.