Lie campaign on dalits, no doing away with quotas: PM

COIMBATORE: Ruling out scrapping reservation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today made a veiled attack on Congress saying a "campaign of lies" has been let loose on the issue of dalits under a "deliberate conspiracy" to disintegrate the country.

"Earlier they tried to instigate farmers. That did not succeed.....now in the name of dalits, lies are being spread. Wherever they go, whenever they go, they utter lies. They repeat the lies on top of their voice. A campaign of lies has been let loose to mislead and fool dalits.

"It is a deliberate conspiracy to mislead people, make them fight against each other and to disintegrate the country. They are feeling frustrated because power has been taken away from them. They always believed that they (dalits) are their voters and now Modi is working for them. They fear what to do with Modi. They want to prevent dalits from backing Modi," he said.

Though he did not name anyone, the Prime Minister's attack appeared to be directed against Congress and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who recently made two trips to Hyderabad University to join protests over the suicide of a Dalit scholar Rohit Vemula.

On Saturday, Gandhi had accused Modi and RSS of trying to crush the spirit of students by imposing "one idea from the top".

The public meeting was to kickstart BJP's campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu but Modi concentrated on national issues and made no reference at all to the state politics.

He said the Opposition was worried over the NDA government taking several steps to highlight the achievements of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.

Utilising the occasion, the Prime Minister said "lies are also being spread that Modi is going to take away reservation from Dalits, OBCs, oppressed and the depressed. Please listen to me carefully. Dalits should progress. I assure the nation that nobody can do away with reservation till the name of Dr B R Ambedkar remains alive."

He listed various steps and initiatives taken by his government in commemoration of Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary.