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Goa minister says Ambedkar wanted separate ‘Dalitstan’ for Dalits
Manohar “Babu” Ajgaonkar, the tourism minister of Goa also happens to be the only MLA from the Scheduled Caste community.
Goa’s lone MLA from the Scheduled Caste community, Manohar “Babu” Ajgaonkar said that Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had sought a separate ‘Dalitstan’ at the time of independence.
Speaking during a motion to congratulate the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister for the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act, Ajgaonkar who is the minister for tourism in the BJP-led government said, “When partition took place, all the Muslims went to that side. Pakistan became a Muslim nation. Hindustan didn’t become a Hindu nation.”
He further went on to add, “Some people are saying [we] will become a Hindu nation. In Hindus people of all communities are there - Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Dalit. For the Dalits, Babashaheb Ambedkar said there would be another Dalit-stan. But we are all together. Can anybody break this apart?”
Ajgaonkar in his speech highlighted that everyone had contributed towards building India. He said, “When this country became independent Babasaheb Ambedkar gave us a good constitution of democracy in which Hindu, Muslims, Sikh, Christians and Dalits will be there. If this country is great it’s because of everyone’s contribution. We cannot deny the fact.”
Ajgaonkar, who spoke in favour of the CAA, said that it was never the idea of the Prime Minister to take the Muslims out of this country.
He reiterated that no one’s citizenship will be taken away, “Nobody can be taken away from the country either based on religion or caste.”
