Uproar in MP assembly over Dalit euthanasia bid

Congress members claim 50 families were deprived of their lands and were living in conditions of abject poverty

The Madhya Pradesh state legislative assembly witnessed an uproar today, with the main Opposition party Congress raising the issue involving the intention of a Dalit families to end their lives. According to news reports, the Dalits sought permission to take this extreme step as they are under severe financial strain. Members of the Congress claimed that these people have lost their livelihood and are struggling to survive.

Congress members pointed out that the aggrieved families, through a memorandum sent to Chief Minister's office recently, had sought his permission to end their lives, alleging that some musclemen had occupied the land granted to them 15 years ago by government. The land, the congress members said, was main source of their livelihood.

After Question Hour, Congress member Jeetu Patwari sought to move an adjournment motion on reports that as many as 50 extremely poor Dalit families sought permission to end their lives. “They belong to Budhni, which is the home turf of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” Patwari further pointed out.

He raised another issue of a Dalit woman who had recently committed suicide in Budhni recently. Patwari alleged that she had also killed her ailing six-month old son as she was unable to get him treated. Senior Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat also demanded these issues be discussed through Call Attention Motion.

Speaker Sitarsharan Sharma responded, saying that these issues have been brought to the notice of the Assembly and will be looked into.

The Congress also raised issue of wages of contractual school teachers in the state.
Acting Leader of Opposition, Bala Bachchan, claimed that contractual teachers in the state's schools were in financial distress since they were not being paid wages and perks under prescribed rules and norms. Amid the uproar, the members walked out of the House and raised slogans: “Dalit virodhi sarkar nahi chalagi, nahi chalegi” (Het rid of the anti-Dalit government) against the state government outside the Assembly premises.