Kumari Selja Declares She Will ‘Die as a Congress Worker

New Delhi: At a time when the BJP was trying to exploit the reported differences between Haryana Dalit Congress leader Kumari Selja and her party, she came out into the open on Monday and asserted she was “not leaving the Congress” and “will die as a Congress worker”.

However, earlier in the day, home minister Amit Shah hit out at the Congress, calling it an “anti-Dalit” party and said it “insulted” Dalit leaders like Kumari Selja and Ashok Tanwar. Mr Shah also lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on reservations and asserted that “if there was anybody who can protect quotas, it was only Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

Asked about the BJP’s recent overtures to her to join it amid reports that she was discontented over ticket distribution for the Haryana Assembly polls, the AICC general secretary said: “The BJP leaders should refrain from giving me advice. The BJP is probably more concerned. There are many things that go around within the party. We had worked to ensure the party’s victory earlier in Lok Sabha and later too… So that we strengthen the party on the ground, work for the people on the ground and taking that forward, we have to form a Congress government.”

Sources said Ms Selja decided to bury her hatchet following a late-night meeting with Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Ms Selja, who is now expected to address an election rally for the Congress in Haryana on September 26, has reportedly been assured that her “grievances will be addressed”.

She clarified that her fight was not for personal gain. “I wanted to contest from Uklana in the Assembly elections, but I didn’t receive the ticket. However, that doesn’t mean my existence in politics ends there. There will be more opportunities in the future”, she remarked.

The home minister, speaking at Tohana in Fatehabad district on Monday morning, branded the Congress an “an anti-Dalit party” and pointed out that it had insulted “Dalit leaders like Ashok Tanwar or sister Kumari Selja”. It may be recalled that recently Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar had invited Ms Selja to join the BJP amid reports that she was staying away from the campaign for the Assembly polls

“The Congress Party is an anti-Dalit party. I want to remind (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda ji and Rahul Baba about the 2005 Gohana incident. Who was responsible for this? It was the Congress,” said Mr Shah, as he also referred to the 2010 Mirchpur incident.

Under Congress rule, people were deprived of jobs in the reserved category with “not found for suitable” claims, he said. The Bharat Ratna was not given to Dr B.R. Ambedkar until the Congress went out of power, he further said.

The Union home minister further took on Mr Gandhi for his remarks made in the United States recently concerning the Sikh community and asked him to apologise. “The entire country feels pride on the Sikh Gurus. The tenth Sikh Guru (Gobind Singh) is respected in every home. In every home, school, there is a picture of the tenth Sikh Guru and Guru Nanak Dev… And Rahul Baba says Sikhs don't have freedom to wear turbans, ‘kada’ in India. He says Sikhs don't have permission to visit gurdwaras in the country. Rahul Baba, in which India do you live? Not just Sikh brothers, but we all also go and bow our heads before the Guru Granth Sahib,” he said. “Why do you insult? From where have you learnt? And in America you say this… The Congress has always insulted everyone,” Mr Shah added.