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MoS for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale against politicisation of atrocities on Dalits

Dalit Leader And Minister Of State For Social Justice And Empowerment Ramdas Athawale On Thursday Said The Alleged Atrocities Against Dalits In Several Parts Of The Country Should Not Be Politicised.

PTI | Updated on: 08 Sep 2016, 10:57:23 PM

Chennai:

Dalit leader and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said the alleged atrocities against Dalits in several parts of the country should not be politicised. 

Asserting that these incidents existed only due to casteism and not because of any particular regime, he said that there was no need for a CBI probe into the flogging of Dalit youths by cow vigilantes in July at Una in Gujarat as appropriate action had already been taken against the perpetrators by the state police. 

Attacks against Dalits take place because of "casteism" and not due to any particular regime in any state, be it AIADMK-led by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu, BJP or Congress party elsewhere in the country, he told reporters at a press conference here. "This issue should not be politicised," he said, adding that Jayalalithaa will take strong action against those attacking Dalits in Tamil Nadu. He said AIADMK returned to power due to Dalit votes in the May 16 Assembly election. 

Atrocities happened in several states against Dalits in places, including Una in Gujarat and Sambalpur in Uttar Pradesh, he said. "Dalits and non-Dalits will come together by following the Constitution," he hoped while adding that every person does not attack Dalits and only some fringe elements were behind them. 

On the demand for a CBI probe into the Una incident, he said there was no need for it and added that then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel had visited the area and victims. Stating that the demand for reservation had been growing, including the one by Patels of Gujarat, Athawale said, "I will discuss the issue with Prime Minister. We will take a decision in Parliament". 

The issue should be resolved and there should be no "quarrel" between people who get reservation benefits and those who did not, he said. To a question on the need for new laws to tackle honour killings in inter-caste marriages, he said though the present laws were not sufficient, the people and society at large should change the present "mindset" which would help tackle such issues. 

To encourage inter-caste marriages, he said his ministry was taking steps to hike the monetary aid being given for such marriages to Rs five lakh from Rs 2.5 lakh. He said his ministry was contemplating supporting NGOs engaged in eradicating casteism by providing them grants. 

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First Published : 08 Sep 2016, 10:48:00 PM

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