Uproar in RS over Modi’s Dalit remarks

A section of agitated Congress MPs forced two adjournments in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after they were not allowed to raise the issue of anti-Dalit remarks reportedly made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on April 26.

A section of agitated Congress MPs forced two adjournments in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday after they were not allowed to raise the issue of anti-Dalit remarks reportedly made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on April 26.

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Led by senior member Praveen Rashtrapal, a few Congress MPs trooped into the well of the House to draw attention to their demand. It is unusual for members from the ruling party to agitate in such manner. Rashtrapal wanted to raise the issue but was denied permission by Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan. Congress members JD Seelam, Alka Balram Kshatriya and Ishwar Singh were among those who protested.

“Modi had said while releasing a book on April 26 that BR Ambedkar was not a revolutionary... He also compared Dalits to mentally retarded children,” Rashtrapal later told reporters.