Give quota to dalits in sports to win gold in Olympics: Udit Raj

NEW DELHI: India will win gold medals at Olympics, if quota is offered to Dalits in sports, a BJP MP from the community claimed today as he made a strong pitch for reservation to the community in line with that given to blacks in US and South Africa.

"Reservation should be extended to Dalits in each of the sports. In South Africa, quota is offered in their cricket team. The US too pitches for blacks, who slog, work hard in athletics. There are not many whites in athletics.

"...if reservation is offered here in sports, we too will win gold medals," BJP Parliamentarian Udit Raj said today.

Udit Raj made the remarks while speaking to reporters here on the issue of extending quota to Dalits in various areas of private sector including sports.

"You go to US, there is a partnership with non-whites in each sector. In South Africa, reservation is given to Negroes even in a sport like cricket. There can't be more than five whites in cricket team," he added.

To a question, the Parliamentarian, one of the key Dalit leaders of the saffron party, also hit out at BSP chief Mayawati over her criticism of BJP that atrocities against community members have gone up in the states ruled by the NDA major.

"Rather, Dalits faced atrocities more during Mayawati's regime in Uttar Pradesh. Her allegations are unfounded," he said.

Udit Raj insisted on bringing reforms in judiciary and police system to ensure the number of alleged attacks on Dalits goes down.

"There have been atrocities against Dalits in the past too. We have flagged the issue in Parliament many a times. Such incidents though will not go down until these reforms happen. We need social reforms too," he said.

The Parliamentarian targeted Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP too for allegedly not keeping promises of regularising contractual community teachers and sanitation workers into Delhi government services and said he will raise the issues among Dalits across the national capital.

"They sought votes of Dalits ahead of assembly elections, but kept none of the promises made to the community. I will be fanning parts of the national capital where community populace is concentrated to tell people facts," he said.

At the Rio Olympics held earlier this year, India bagged two medals: a silver in badminton and bronze in wrestling both in women's category.