Dalit committed suicide: Manohar Lal Khattar
Congress demanded the sacking of the former Army Chief from the Cabinet
New Delhi: Issuing a public dressing down, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We can’t get away by saying the statement was misinterpreted. We need to be extra careful while putting forth our views.”
“Both Gen. V.K. Singh and Kiren Rijiju have already given their clarification on their statements, but I feel as leaders of the ruling party we all must be extra cautious before making any statement and should also ensure that there is no possibility of our statement being interpreted in the wrong sense,” Mr Rajnath Singh said.
Mr Rajnath Singh said ministers and BJP leaders must ensure that their statements are reflected in the proper perspective and no wrong message is communicated through them. “We should also ensure that there is no possibility of our statements being interpreted in the wrong way or send an incorrect message,” he said.
It is learnt that both Gen. Singh and Rijiju were personally asked by the party leadership to be careful in future.
Refusing to let the controversy die, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in New Delhi filed a complaint with the Delhi police on Friday against the remarks, while the Congress demanded the sacking of the former Army Chief from the Cabinet.
As political heat mounted over the horrific incident, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday asserted that those responsible for the crime would not be spared and insisted steps have been taken to ensure the security of the community in the state. He also rejected the allegation that a 15-year-old Dalit boy in Sonipat had died in police custody, saying he had committed suicide. He announced a job and compensation for the family of the boy whose death triggered fresh protests on Friday.
Mr Khattar also deplored attempts to give a casteist colour to “individual incidents” and insisted there was no problem with law and order, rejecting the Opposition’s charge in this regard.
Meanwhile, the Congress and BSP continued to mount attacks on Khattar’s government, saying it was “insensitive” towards dalits and an “anti-Dalit mindset” prevailed in Haryana.