BJP demands Azam's resignation for remarks against Ambedkar

BJP today demanded the arrest and resignation of Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan and for dubbing Bhim Rao Ambedkar as someone who grabs land.
"Such comments are highly objectionable. There is no place for people like Azam Khan in the society. A criminal case should be registered against him and he should be arrested," BJP SC wing chief Dushyant Gautam said.
Earlier in the day, a BJP delegation led by state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya submitted a memorandum to Governor Ram Naik at Raj Bhawan demanding Khan's dismissal from the cabinet for "hurting sentiments by making derogatory remarks against Ambedkar".

At the inauguration of Haj House in Ghaziabad on Monday, Khan without naming Ambedkar had said: "All across Uttar Pradesh, there are statues of a person whose finger seems to say that not only does it own the plot of land on which it is standing, but also the plot towards which it is pointing its finger.
BJP today held protests across the state against Khan's remarks, Maurya said, adding the BJP district president and other workers were injured in the lathicharge by police on protesters in Lucknow.
"We request to make such an arrangement that those making such statements against great persons should be brought to book irrespective of their stature," he said.

Exhorting workers to win over the poor, Modi said BJP is

blessed with lakhs of selfless functionaries connected to the ground and said they are not swayed by wind but are capable of changing its direction.
Apparently responding to criticism that cash did not have a big share of black money, he said it was the source of all forms, like benami assets and gold, of black money.
He invoked the party's ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, whose birth centenary is being celebrated by the government and the organisation, and said his government's works are in line with his 'garib kalyan' agenda.

The party's responsibility has increased following public support to demonetisation, he said.
Ravi Shankar Prasad said BJP will hold its next National Executive meeting on April 15-16.
The Union Minister also said he felt few addresses at the national executive meetings have been as impressive as the Modi's today and that many leaders shared his feelings.
The party Good Governance department headed by Vinay Sahasrabuddhe gave a comparative presentation on state governments to claim that BJP-run states were more efficient.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave a presentation on his government's efforts to double farmers' income while Union Minister Piyush Goyal spoke about digital economy.

Noting that minorities suffer the most from illiteracy,
Modi said his government's welfare schemes touch all sections of society, especially the poor.
He also sought to make a distinction between digital India and demonetisation, saying the former has been going on for a long period of time.