Don't politicise atrocities on dalits: Naidu to parties

Terming atrocities against dalits as "shameful", Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today asked all political parties to desist from giving a political colour to such "unfortunate events."
"It's a shame that such incidents are happening 70 years after Independence," he said while making intervention in a debate on 'Atrocities against Dalits'.
"Let's not rake up social tension...Let us not politicise the issue...No political colour should be given," he said.
There is a need to create favourable atmosphere in the society so that all sections of the society can harmoniously live, he added.
Targeting opposition, Naidu said, political parties make beeline when atrocities happen in the state run by ruling party but maintain silence when such incidents happen in states run by them.

"It will to totally unfair to target one political party, one state...It is an issue for all of us," he said.

"We should not work with the objective of hitting the headlines...The mainline is to address the issue and eradicate poverty," he added.
He said political parties should not compete in paying homage to the place where atrocities against dalit have taken place but they should compete in stopping such incidences.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken various steps like funding the unfunded and reaching the unreached.
He said the highest number of SC MPs are from BJP, highest number of ST MPs are from BJP and highest number of OBC MPs are from BJP.

"This government is concerned about welfare of poor and downtrodden. Our PM is 'messiah' of poor particularly SC/ST," he added.