Condemning anti-Dalit violence, Capt Amarinder questions Modi’s silence

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today condemned the incidents of violence against the Dalits in different parts of the country. “There appears to be a dangerous pattern in the verbal and physical abuse and violence against the Dalits everywhere, which is either being ignored or encouraged, at the peril of sparking off a caste war in the country”, Capt Amarinder warned in a statement issued here today.
Questioning the silence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter, he wondered as why he had not intervened till now. “How can you shut your eyes when your fellow countrymen are being treated with such brutality and cruelty”, he asked the Prime Minister.
The PCC president also announced to hold statewide protests against the anti-Dalit violence on Sunday. He will himself be leading the protest at Kartarpur in Jalandhar district the same day.
Referring to the flogging and parading of three Dalit youths in a Gujarat town by some self-styled “cow protection” vigilante groups, the PCC president said, there was genuine anger and outrage, not among the Dalits alone, but all the well meaning Indians about the direction the country was taking.
Capt Amarinder also condemned the abusive language used by the Uttar Pradesh BJP vice president Daya Shankar Singh against the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Ms Mayawati, saying it was most condemnable and deplorable. He said, no punishment will be enough for the person who used such language against the former UP Chief Minister.
Expressing concern over such incidents, the former Chief Minister suggested that the Prime Minister should personally intervene in the matter. “Given the alarming sensitivity of the situation, it calls for urgent intervention at the highest level lest the country is pushed into caste war”, he warned.
The PCC president also announced that the Congress party will stage protests across the state against the violence and atrocities against the Dalits. The protests will be held at all the district headquarters on Sunday, while he will personally lead a protest in Kartarpur.