Attacks on Dalits will have bearing on Assembly polls: Udit Raj

The BJP MP, also said the outfits will hold agitations in parts of the country

A Dalit MP of BJP on Sunday cautioned the party that the recent spate of attacks on the community members "will have a bearing" on the Assembly polls scheduled for 2017 and said he would urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that rule of law prevails in the country.

"Any social or political incident (like these) has a bearing and will have bearing (on the election)," BJP MP Udit Raj said.

Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh are going to polls next year.

"We will take up the issue aggressively in Parliament... I will urge the Prime Minister, the party (BJP), all the Chief Ministers, (UP CM) Akhilesh ji, (TN CM) Jayalalithaa to take up the matter strongly and ensure rule of law is there," he told reporters after the conclusion of a national conference of an SC/ST confederation he leads.

Raj refused to comment on the stand taken by BJP on the issue. He just said "its (party's) reaction is not bad".

The MP attacked Congress and alleged that rule of law was not established during its "long regime". The conviction rate too has been poor in matters of atrocities against Dalits across the country, he said.

Raj asked if the value of Dalits was less than that of animals as he referred to Gujarat's Una incident, in which some community youths were targeted for skinning a dead cow, and attributed such incidents to "mindset" of the people.

He claimed the Gujarat incident was "not an isolated one" as Dalits keep facing attacks and reasoned the issue is being highlighted now given its "inhuman and bitter" nature.

He also questioned the "protectors" of Hindu religion as to who would be responsible if Dalits chose to embrace Islam or Christianity if denied entry to temples as he referred to media reports that following denial of permission to conduct rituals at the ancient Badrakaliyamman temple at Nagapattinam, during the Tamil month of Adi, some Dalits had planned to embrace Islam.

The Nagapattinam district administration had later denied the report.

Raj said it is these "protectors" who are pushing the religion into "danger" with their activities.

"Another incident happened in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri where a Dalit couple was hacked to death over Rs 15... The amount is so small that it cannot be a ground for attacks. But it is the mindset. Though the country is progressing, the mindset is not changing," he added.

Raj asked members of upper caste communities also to come forward and denounce the alleged atrocities on Dalits if at all they considered latter as "citizens of this country".

"If the upper caste people feel Dalits are citizens of this country, then they should stand up (against the attacks). If they don't feel so, then what moral right they have to give slogans of nationalism?" he asked.

Raj, who is chairman of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, said the outfits will hold agitations in parts of the country. A rally will also be held in November/December this year to protest the issue.