Dalits begin March for Freedom' in Gujarat
Thousands of Dalits on Friday began their ten-day march from Ahmedabad to Una putting the ruling BJP virtually on notice.
New Delhi: At a time when the BJP is going in for a change of guard, the Dailt uprising in Gujarat has emerged as a major cause of concern for the party struggling to stay in the fight in the forthcoming assembly polls in the OBC and Dalit dominated Uttar Pradesh.
Thousands of Dalits on Friday began their ten-day march from Ahmedabad to Una putting the ruling BJP virtually on notice.
Though the Dalits comprise only 7.1 per cent of the total population in Gujarat, the echo of the march is expected to reverberate in the poll bound states of Punjab and UP.
A worried BJP has carved out the tasks for the new chief minister. The main among them are to pacify the Dalits and contain the simmering anger among the Patidar community by isolating its leader, Hardik Patel.
The ‘March for Freedom’ which started on Friday will reach Una on August 15. After the assault on the Dalits for skinning a dead cow by the ‘Gau Rakshaks’ Una has emerged as the epicentre of Dalit protests. All the top Opposition leaders, ranging from Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Ms Mayawati had rushed to Una to consoildate their Dalit vote banks.