PM trying to do damage control on Dalit atrocities for political gains: JD (U)

The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday said the damage control effort of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in regard to the Dalit atrocities is half-hearted, adding that he was doing that with political electoral considerations in mind.

"He is doing or attempting to do some damage control because Dalit anger and outrage and that of minorities have now become pan-Indian in scale. So this is the half-hearted attempt much too late to do damage control with political electoral considerations in mind," JD (U) leader Pawan Verma told ANI.

He said they do not have any other option except to welcome the fact that the Prime Minister has at last broken his silence on the Dalit atrocities.

Prime Minister Modi yesterday took strong exception to atrocities on Dalits in Gujarat's Una in the name of cow protection and said some people have opened shops in the name of cow protection, which makes him very angry.

"I am very much angry on those who have opened their occupation in the name of 'Gau Raksha' (cow protection). There are many 'Gau Rakshaks' (cow protectors). They protect cows to hide their illegal occupations. Cows mostly die of eating plastic bags and these gau rakshaks should urge people not to throw plastics on the roads. This will be a big sewa," said the Prime Minister, who was addressing the concluding session of the Town Hall meeting organised at Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex here on Saturday to mark the second anniversary of MyGov(dot)in.