After Maya’s demand, Gehlot says will examine cases against Dalits

Our Correspondent & PTI

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Jaipur/Bhopal, January 1

Reacting to BSP supremo Mayawati’s demand to withdraw cases lodged against “innocent” Bharat Bandh protesters last April, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today said his government would examine them.

“She has a genuine demand because innocent people might have been trapped in the said Bharat Bandh while demonstrating against the Modi government’s anti-SC/ST Act amendments,” he said.

“The government will examine cases. I firmly believe that the innocent should not be trapped in criminal cases,” Gehlot told reporters while coming out of the PCC Office here.

Mayawati had on Monday said she would “reconsider” her party’s outside support to the new Congress governments in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, if cases against “innocent” people in connection with the April 2 Bharat Bandh were not withdrawn.

The shutdown was called by Dalit organisations against the alleged dilution of the SC/ST Act following a Supreme Court order. The protest had crippled several parts of Madhya Pradesh and the subsequent violence left eight persons, mainly Dalits, dead.

Gehlot blamed former CM Vasundhara Raje for leaving a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore on the exchequer and unpaid crop loan waiver worth Rs 6,000 crore out of her announcement of Rs 8,000 crore to farmers just before the Assembly poll.

In Madhya Pradesh, the state government announced to withdraw all “politically motivated” cases filed by the previous BJP government.

“We are going to withdraw politically motivated cases filed by the previous BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over the past 15 years against the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), BSP, Left parties, Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) activists, farmers, employees and journalists,” state Law and Legislative Affairs Minister PC Sharma said.

Asked whether Mayawati’s threat had prompted the MP Government to go for the withdrawal of such cases, he said, “No, it is not the case. The new (Congress) regime was already considering the withdrawal of politically motivated cases. Majority of these matters are against the Congress.”