Dalit leader praises Rahul

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday met convener of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, Jignesh Mevani in Guajrat's Navsari and discussed demands of Dalit community.

"I met Rahul Ji. He told us 90 per cent of our demands aren't demands but our constitutional rights which will be included in the manifesto for the upcoming state Assembly elections," Mevani told media here.

"Rahul Gandhi has promised to include most of our demands in the Congress manifesto. We will do everything to defeat the anti-people i.e. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," Mevani said.

While accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of lending a deaf ear towards the woes of Dalits, Mevani said he is grateful to the Congress party for paying heed to their plight.

Mevani had met Rahul Gandhi wanting the Congress' stand on 17 demands related to his community.

The demands include an allotment of five acres of farmland to the Dalits, alternative employment for those involved in cattle-skinning and manual scavenging and the release of a probe report into an incident of firing on the community members at Thangadh in Surendranagar district in 2012.

Earlier on Thursday, Mevani said if Rahul Gandhi or any other party leader decides to hold talks with him to discuss the demands made by the Dalit group, he would meet.

He accused the BJP Government in Gujarat of being arrogant and ignoring the matters of the Dalit in the state in its 22-year-long rule.

Meanwhile, the 14th legislative assembly elections in Gujarat are to be held by the end of 2017 as the term of 13th assembly ends on January 22, 2018.

The last Congress Government in Gujarat was led by Chhabildas Mehta from February 17, 1994 to March 13, 1995.