Congress least concerned about dalits: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday took a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for 'sleeping' when the case of atrocities against dalits in Gujarat was raised in the Parliament and said it exposes the double-face of the grand old party which is least concerned about the community.

"The Congress has a double face and it was never serious with regard to the Dalits. The Congress has till now been doing politics in the name of Dalits. The statistics of the Crime Bureau tell how the people of the SC/ST community were tortured during the Congress regime. The Congress doesn't want to listen to the truth," BJP leader Shrikant Sharma told ANI.

Escalating his attack on the Congress vice-president, Sharma said this was not the first time it has happened that Gandhi has been found sleeping in the Parliament.

"Earlier too whenever there was a serious discussion, he was found sleeping. We understand that his nights are long and he feels Parliament is the best place to sleep," he added.

He alleged that the Congress has a double face and it comes up with issues to cause hindrance in the way of the functioning of the Parliament.

"The Congress is anti-development, anti-Dalits.it decides on the propaganda on how to stop the government from working. The government is very much clear on Dalit atrocities. Anyone who commits any atrocity against Dalits should get strict punishment. The government is taking stringent action and taking strict steps," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said that it exposed the true face of the Congress and clearly indicates that they are least interested in the development of Dalits.

"They got 60 years to give respect and ensure the progress of the Dalits in which they failed miserably. The people have rejected them. If their leader is found sleeping when such an important issue is being discussed then the face of the Congress stands exposed," Sharma said.

"Wasting the time of the Parliament in itself exposes the face of the Congress. Neither the people nor has the Parliament ever taken the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi, seriously. I think the nickname which he is being called at times has become the reality," he added.

As the Congress erupted in protest over Home Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks on the Una incident, television footage inescapably showed Gandhi sleeping with his forehead resting in his palm.

A policeman was killed in mob violence and a Dalit committed suicide on Tuesday as protests against last week's thrashing of four youth in Una town snowballed across Saurashtra region of Gujarat.

The Dalit, who died during the day, was among the five persons from the community who tried to take their own lives in separate incidents in Gujarat.