Mayawati: Atrocities against Dalits have increased since Modi came to power

“No action has been taken by the central government against Union minister V K Singh for his objectionable statements against Dalits. RSS and other saffron organisations are behind incidents of increasing atrocities,” she added.

Mayawati also stated that by praising Ambedkar and giving Bharat Ratna to Kanshiram or projecting any saffronised Dalit person as CM in any state or national president of their party, the BJP government will not be able to entice Dalits in their traps.

The BSP leader claimed that it is for the first time that such an atmosphere has been created in the country where BJP MPs are openly making a mockery of the Constitution. “The prime minister who has taken oath to protect the Constitution has let them loose…such conduct of the BJP is not in the interest of the country,” she said.

She also warned Dalits, OBCs and minorities against falling prey to allurements.

Referring to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s statement on reservation, she said, “She has openly come out against reservation. Recently, she had demanded constitutional provision for review of caste-based reservation…this is reflective of her anti-Dalit stance. We strongly condemn it. She should know that in India, where at every stage casteism is the dominating factor, talking about ending reservation amounts to encouraging injustice and atrocities on Dalits and other weaker sections.”

Meanwhile, referring to the agitation by women against ban on their entry in Shani Shinganpur temple in Maharashtra, Mayawati said it was reflective of “wrong mentality” and the male priests should not forget that they too were given birth by women.

On Rohith Vemula incident, Mayawati said, “If Rohith does not get justice even after a judicial probe was ordered into his death, it will be inferred that Prime Minister Modi’s emotional moment during a programme in Lucknow was a conspiracy to fulfil his political interest. It was just a ploy to attract Dalit votes and a dramabazi and he had shed crocodile tears.”

Expressing apprehension on whether Rohith’s family will get justice, she said, “Government is engaged in saving the main accused in this incident from the beginning. Hence we do not see any chances that real culprit will be apprehended.”

Mayawati further alleged that the Centre’s move to strip Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia of their minority status was “communally and politically motivated”.

“They are trying to make religious minorities students ‘orphans’ by snatching minority status from these two institutions, which is against their established recognition and identity. This step is motivated by communalism. It is being done to polarise votes on religious grounds ahead of the coming Assembly polls in other states including UP,” she said.

Contesting the rationale being given for depriving these institutions of minority status, Mayawati said, “We disagree with the logic that by doing so Dalits and OBCs will get reservation in these institutions,” adding that Dalits consider religious minorities as their own because 90 per cent of them came under this category by converting to protest against caste-based mentality and atrocities of upper castes. “BSP treats them as part of our samaj and is in favour of granting reservation facility to these people. AMU and Jamia are being targetted to keep these people away from education. It is being done for polarisation of votes,” she alleged.