Mayawati seeks PM Modi's statement on Dalit issue

NEW DELHI: Questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "silence" on the issue of atrocities on Dalits, BSP chief Mayawati today alleged that such incidents have increased since BJP came into power and demanded a statement from him.

Referring the Una incident in Gujarat where Dalit youths were allegedly flogged by a cow protection group on July 22, she said outside Parliament, "Dalit people are being tortured in the name of cow protection."

In an apparent reference to the suicide of Mangaluru DySP M K Ganapathy, Mayawati said the atrocities against Dalits and marginalised people "have gone up and even those in the government are committing suicide."

"Similarly in Maharashtra, two Dalit youths were going on a bike and they overtook a vehicle. Overtaking happens generally on the roads. But they were stopped and tortured. When the photo of Baba saheb (B R Ambedkar) was found on the bike they were tortured more. BJP is in power in Maharashtra.

"In Uttar Pradesh, atrocities against Dalit are going on a bigger scale. It is happening all over the country after BJP came to power at the Centre," she alleged.

With next year's UP Assembly elections on her mind, Mayawati has been targeting the Centre over the incidents of atrocities on Dalits and her attacks have sharpened after a BJP leader made derogatory remarks against her pushing the saffron party on backfoot.

"When it is happening on regular basis across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should not keep silence. He should speak. In BJP ruled states, it is happening in a bigger scale. But Prime Minister is silent.

"It seems that he has no concern over the incidents. We were expecting that Prime Minister would definitely say something on Gujarat incident but he did not. He is yet to give any statement on the incident," she added.