BJP govts have created fear among dalits: Rahul

Says important for Cong to reach out to victims of violence

Taking up the dalit cause, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that the inaction of BJP governments in states, especially Uttar Pradesh, has created an atmosphere of fear among dalits and religious minorities.

Alleging that the current dispensation, had allowed the “climate of fear” and lawlessness “to not only prevail but also flourish”, Mr Gandhi asserted that it was important for the Congress to reach out to the victims of “mindless violence”.

The hate speeches made by various BJP ministers and leaders exhorting their followers to target certain communities “encourages local goons to act with impunity”, the Congress president added.

The complicity of state agencies, that makes such large- scale persecution possible must be exposed. It is important for the party to reach out to the victims of the “mindless violence” and publicly support them, Mr Gandhi wrote in a letter to the schedule caste ( SC) department of the AICC.

“There is an urgent need for a larger public discourse regarding the systemic persecution unleashed by this regime. Towards this end, I request you to take up these issues in all relevant platforms. And apprise me on the same,” the letter said.

It would be expedient on part of the SC department of the party to examine the recent instances of violence against dalits where the state had failed to act against the perpetrators, he added.

There is an urgent need for a larger public discourse regarding the systemic persecution unleashed by this regime

— Rahul Gandhi,

Cong chief