In a further sign that Dalit MPs of the BJP are getting restive, Chote Lal Kharwar, who sits in Parliament for Robertsganj in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, complaining about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s attitude towards him.
The MPhas also taken the issue to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
Mr. Kharwar has alleged that he met Mr. Adityanath twice in the past, and instead of being treated with courtesy due to a party colleague, he was “scolded and thrown out.”
He said he was discriminated against by the district administration in his own constituency; he was not getting any hearing in the party either.
The complaint comes a few days after a nationwide bandh organised by Dalit outfits turned violent. The bandh was against a Supreme Court order that they feared weakened the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
No hearing
Mr. Kharwar’s letter also mentioned BJP State president Mahendranath Pandey and general secretary Sunil Bansal. He said he had been complaining of rampant corruption in Chandauli district, near his constituency, but his complaints were not heeded even after the BJP came to power in the State.
Mr. Kharwar is the second Dalit MP of the party to air his grievances. Bahraich MP Savitri Bai Phule protested against the “rising crimes” against Dalits in the State.
