Udit Raj snubs Kejriwal, calls him ‘anti-Dalit, anti-poor’

New Delhi: Criticising AAP over its alleged discriminatory treatment of Dalits, Udit Raj, Congress leader and former MP from northwest Delhi, pointed out that while AAP discussed providing salaries to pujaris, it ignored the monks serving in 314 Budhvihar mandirs, 150 Ravidas Mandirs, and 150 Balmiki Mandirs. “Monks of Budh Vihar will protest against Kejriwal’s anti-Dalit stance at Jantar Mantar on Monday,” Raj said.

Raj also highlighted AAP’s failure to fulfill promises made before the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, such as regularising sanitation workers, teachers, and employees of DTC and DJB. “With another election approaching, Kejriwal is repeating empty promises,” he said.

On Sunday, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Prime Minister, requesting land at subsidised rates for sanitation workers to build homes, and suggested expanding this initiative to other government employees.

Raj urged the Dalit community in Delhi not to vote for Kejriwal or AAP candidates, calling the former Delhi CM “anti-Dalit and anti-poor”. He accused Kejriwal of exploiting Dalits for votes without addressing their issues. “Kejriwal has been silent on the caste census despite being urged by Rahul Gandhi to clarify his stance,” Raj added.

He alleged AAP had failed to fill thousands of vacant posts in the Delhi government that could benefit Dalits and had not regularised ad hoc employees, including sanitation workers teachers, DTC employees and several other categories of employees.

Raj also raised several questions for Kejriwal, such as why AAP has no Dalit or backward MPs in the Rajya Sabha. He also pointed out that AAP opposed reservation for backward students in 2006 and misled Dalits with its 2020 Ambedkar Scholarship Scheme. He claimed the scheme was ineffective, with only four students sent abroad in four years. “Dalit students were not sent abroad and overall Rs 25 lakh was distributed in scholarships and Rs 5 crore for its publicity,” he pointed out.

In August 2023, a parliamentary committee noted that the scheme’s conditions needed change to be effective, but Kejriwal was more interested in publicity than Dalit welfare, Raj alleged. He further criticised Kejriwal for forcing Dalit Minister Rajender Pal Gautam to resign when he suggested implementing Dr Ambedkar’s 22 pledges.

Courtesy: Times Of India

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