Ruling party MLAs belonging to the Dalit community have shot off an open letter to State BJP president Bandi Sanjay accusing him of demeaning Dalits by commenting on their ancestors’ profession of shoe making.
The MLAs alleged that Mr. Sanjay continued to hold the age-old view of demeaning Dalits and claimed that it reflected the mindset of the BJP. “He represents a party that wants to ensure Dalits remain at the lower level of the society and not progress in the modern age,” the MLAs argued in the letter.
Mr. Sanjay, while participating in Santh Ravi Das birthday celebrations recently, had reportedly said that Dalits were not only good at making shoes but also have the power to insert nails to harm the politicians taking them for a ride.
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The MLAs who signed the letter included Goverment Whips Balka Suman, Guvvala Balraju, MS Prabhakar Alaraju, G Kishore, K Yadaiah, A Ramesh, MS Prabhakar and some MLCs. They reminded him that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was committed for the development of Dalits.