BJP SC Morcha Condemns Turmeric 'Purification' of Dalit Protest Site in Telangana
Telangana BJP SC Morcha leaders condemned the sprinkling of turmeric water to 'purify' a spot where Dalit groups had protested outside K. Chandrasekhar Rao's farmhouse.
Leaders of the BJP's Scheduled Caste Morcha in Telangana on Thursday condemned the alleged sprinkling of turmeric water to "purify" the site outside BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's farmhouse where Dalit groups had staged a protest.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP State office, SC Morcha State president Kanthi Kiran said the area was purified only after the Dalit demonstrators, who had beaten traditional drums during their protest, had left the venue. He described the act as an insult to the Dalit community, calling it a reflection of a regressive mindset and an attempt to revive discriminatory practices associated with an earlier era.
Mr. Kiran said Dalits today live with dignity and self-respect under the constitutional safeguards provided by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and asserted that any attempt to demean the community was unacceptable.
He also criticised the alleged use of abusive language against the Legislative Assembly Speaker, who belongs to the Dalit community. Such conduct, he said, exposed an anti-Dalit attitude even as its authors claimed to uphold democratic values.
The BJP leader further raised concern over an incident in which members of the Congress youth wing allegedly attacked the party office and smeared black ink on posters commemorating the 650th birth anniversary of Saint Ravidas Maharaj. He alleged that the police had not acted against those responsible.
Accusing both the Congress and the BRS of treating Dalits as a vote bank, Mr. Kiran said leaders of the two parties had repeatedly hurt the community's sentiments and undermined its self-respect. He criticised former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, alleging that both had failed to fulfil promises made to Dalits — including the former's assurance of making a Dalit the Chief Minister and the latter's "Dalit Declaration" and other commitments.
The BJP, he said, would not remain a silent spectator if the dignity and rights of Dalits in the State were compromised. He claimed that the Modi Government stood by the Dalit community, ensuring genuine empowerment and tangible progress in line with Babasaheb Ambedkar's vision.
SC Morcha leaders Ramaswamy, Shravan, Arvind and Rammohan, among others, were present at the press conference.