Temple row shameful; Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi should have taken action: Ram Vilas Paswan

NEW DELHI: Terming as "shameful" the incident of a temple being cleaned up after Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's visit, Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today wondered as to why the Dalit leader did not ask the police to arrest the guilty.

Paswan, who is also a Dalit leader like Manjhi, said, "Untouchability is a crime in the country. It cannot be allowed to take place to even an ordinary citizen. What can be more shameful when a CM says the temple was cleaned up after his visit. It cannot be more shameful than this."

"He should have immediately called police and asked them to raid the place. He should have sent the guilty to jail," he told reporters after sweeping an area outside state-run Food Corporation of India as part of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' ( Clean India Mission).

Yesterday, Manjhi -- a Mahadalit -- had said a temple in Madhubani district was washed and purified soon after his visit during Assembly by-polls some months ago.

"A deep-rooted bias prevails against Mahadalits and those from the down-trodden sections of society....I have myself been a victim of caste bias," he had said at an event in the state.

The Bihar Chief Minister had also said that the bias against Dalit people also prevails in the official machinery and hurdles are created in execution of work related to welfare of the weaker sections of the society.