Amit Shah attends Dalit rally, just 2,000 people turn up

NEW DELHI: A Dalit mega rally in the capital on Tuesday that had BJP president Amit Shah as chief speaker didn't go as planned. Only 2,000-odd people turned up against the estimated 20,000-25,000, forcing the organizers-Akhil Bhartiya Dalit Mahapanchayat-to trim the duration of the event.

The organizers, who claimed to have lakhs of members in the city, blamed it on the small window they got to plan things. "We didn't get sufficient time to organize the event as Amit Shahji gave his consent just four days ago. We were expecting 20,000-25,000 people. But many couldn't come, as some of them were stopped (by police) at different places and others were stuck in traffic jam,'' said More Singh Pahalwan, president of the organization that put together the Dalit Mahasammelan.

During his brief address Shah appealed to the crowd to dial BJP's toll-free number and become members of the party. He said the support of the Valmiki community is important for BJP. "We have always stood for the principles of social harmony since the days of Jan Sangh. We want everyone to be part of the party," said Shah.

The event was also attended by Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, state in-charge Prabhat Jha and MP Vijay Goel.

Community members were happy that Shah attended the event, but some were also upset that they didn't get time to express their concerns. "They (BJP members) didn't let me speak as Shah had to leave for a meeting. We wanted to tell him about the problems faced by our community. Now that Modi's government is there at the Centre, we are hopeful that BJP will do something for us. We want to tell them about our demands," said Pahalwan.