Uproar in Parliament over Gujarat Dalit issue

New Delhi, July 20

Last week's attack on Dalits in Gujarat caused uproar in Parliament as Opposition cornered the central government in both Houses on Wednesday morning, even as Dalit organisations called a shutdown against the incident and held rallies across the state..

Congress, the principal opposition party in Parliament, accused the BJP of sponsoring a Hindutva organisation working for "Dalit-mukt Bharat" to polarise communities ahead of next year's assembly elections.

The opposition demanded a joint parliamentary committee to go into the incident.

Singh refuted the charges and cited figures to claim that cases of atrocities against Dalits have been on the decline in the state since 2001, when Narendra Modi took over as chief minister.

K Suresh (Cong) raised the issue in Zero Hour during which Congress members remained in the Well during protesting against the incident.

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“Many Dalits have tried to commit suicide as they have no faith in the state government,” the Congress leader claimed

"Violence is RSS agenda. RSS is trying for Dalit-mukt Bharat. The government totally failed. It was a BJP-sponsored attack. What is going on? Is this Gujarat model," he said. 

In his response to the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said nine people had been arrested and four policemen suspended for the incident.

“Atrocities against Dalits a social evil. We must take it up as a challenge. Urge all parties to come together to fight this,” he said, as he appreciated the Gujarat government’s swift Singh condemned the incident but said atrocities against Dalits occurred in the state when Congress was at its helm.

He also claimed the BJP government in the state had acted swiftly to arrest the suspects in the case.

Singh, whose speech was repeatedly disrupted by the Congress, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "very sad and hurt" by the incident.

The state government was planning to have a special court for the trial in the case,  the Minister said.

However, the Congress and the TMC staged a walkout to protest the reply. 

‘Adjournments’

The Opposition forced six adjournments of the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday as they protested the incident in Rajya Sabha.

The Trinamool Congress, the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party repeatedly entered the Well as they demanded response Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Proceedings in the Upper House could not begin on Wednesday morning, as TMC Parliamentarian Derek O Brien demanded a discussion on the incident as Zero Hour began.

Bahujan Samaj Patry chief Mayawati stood up to speak, but Congress MPs entered the Well shouting slogans. They were soon joined by the TMC and the BSP, forcing the first adjournment.

The three parties continued their protests after the house reassembled.

Not two days into Parliament’s Monsoon Session, doubts have already begun to be cast on whether Parliament would function smoothly. Bills such as the Goods and Services Tax — which has been pending passage since the past three sessions — is expected to be discussed in the session.

Dalit organisations callef for a shutdown and held rallies across the state on Wednesday to protest the incident.

Four Dalits were beaten by some vigilantes after they were accused of cow-slaughter in Una, some 360 km from Ahmedabad last week.

Seven people are suspected to have taken poison in separate rallies in the state to protest in incident on Monday. A policeman was killed in mob violence and a Dalit committed suicide on Tuesday as protests snowballed across Saurashtra region of Gujarat on Tuesday.

The Gujarat incident has once again brought into sharp focus the leadership of BJP's Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, who was criticised for her poor handling of the violent Patidar protests, which left eight people dead in the state last year.

Although sources admit the incident is a cause of discomfort for the party, for which a victory in Gujarat — Narendra Modi’s home ground — is a subject of great pride, the BJP however continues to play its cards close to its chest. — TNS/ Agencies