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Vemula’s caste was faked to malign govt: BJP’s SC Morcha
Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in January this year, did not belong to the Scheduled Castes and his ‘Dalit identity’ was faked to malign the Narendra Modi government, the BJP’s SC Morcha has said.
Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide in January this year, did not belong to the Scheduled Castes and his ‘Dalit identity’ was faked to malign the Narendra Modi government, the BJP’s SC Morcha has said.
Asking BJP leaders to counter such misinformation, SC Morcha chief Dushyant Gautam claimed Vemula was from a backward community.
“He belonged to a backward community. But, he was given a new identity by the BJP’s rivals,” Gautam said at a party workshop for Dalit leaders in Delhi on Monday. The workshop was held to arm party workers with facts to counter ‘propaganda’ about rise in atrocities against SCs after Modi came to power.
Pamphlets on ‘facts’ related to Vemula’s suicide, flogging of Dalits at Una and data of atrocities during Congress rule, were distributed. BJP leaders rued that the Modi government has empowered Dalits – both socially and economically – but stray incidents have clouded such initiatives.
“You must educate people. There is a difference between our approach towards Dalits and what is being projected in the media,” law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Party spokesman Bizay Sonkar Shastri said faking identities existed even during the time of the Mahabharata, and Eklavya was also projected as a tribal.
“He was connected to the commander a royal family from Magadh. Historians, influenced by communism, gave him a new identity to achieve certain goals,” Shastri said.
BJP leaders rued that media did not question Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and BSP supremo Mayawati for trying to “milk political benefits” out of certain incidents in BJP-ruled states, while ignoring others.
The Dalit leaders were asked to connect with their communities and counter ‘propaganda’ with facts. They were also asked to popularise the Modi government’s effort to economically empower Dalits.
