Why is ‘Ambedkarite’ PM Silent on Violence Against Dalits: Mevani

“PM calls himself an Ambedkarite but when Dalits get beaten, he chooses to stay mum about it,” says Jignesh Mevani.

“Bhima Koregaon, Una, Saharanpur... why does PM Modi remain silent when it comes to issues of violence inflicted on Dalits?” Jignesh Mevani asked. 

(Photo: ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi must break silence on the Maharashtra government’s failure to curb the violence that broke out over the Bhima Koregaon event, Dalit leader and newly-elected Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani has said.

“The PM calls himself an Ambedkarite but when Dalits take out a peaceful rally, they get thrashed but PM Modi chooses to stay mum about it,” he told reporters at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on 5 January.

“Are Dalits in the country not allowed to hold a peaceful procession to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle? It is after he came to power that Rohith Vemula died, that the Una incident happened, that the houses of Dalits were burned in Saharanpur... And now, the Bhima Koregaon incident... in all these instances, the PM has not taken any concrete action.

On an FIR being filed against him for his speech at the 200th anniversary of Bhima-Koregaon battle, Mevani claimed that he did not say a single word that was inflammatory.

Members of Sangh Parivar and BJP made a childish attempt to tarnish my image. No part of my speech was provocative or inflammatory. It is is publicly available and can be checked as we also streamed it live on Facebook.

Mevani further added that he did not participate in the call for Maharashtra Bandh and was not in Bhima Koregaon when the violence broke out.

One person was killed after a group of men, carrying saffron flags, allegedly attacked Dalits as they gathered to mark the bicentenary of the Bhima Koregaon battle in Pune district. Clashes broke out when people were headed towards the war memorial in the village, about 30 km from Pune city, the police had said.

‘Allegations Against Me Are After-effect of Gujarat Election Results’

Mevani, who has been a vocal critic of the BJP regime, said that the allegations of inflammatory speeches against him are an after-effect of Gujarat Election results.

The BJP’s ‘Mission 150’ failed and they were reduced to just 99 seats in Gujarat. It’s an indication that a public movement can bring down a fascist regime. Now they are targeting me which is an after effect of the election results and also because they have a sense of fear about 2019 polls.