TRS dalit MLAs flay BJP state chief over 'loose talk'

Hyderabad: TRS Dalit MLAs on Sunday flayed BJP state president Bandi Sanjay for his alleged comment that Dalits are like “sandal-makers and crooks.” They warned him: “Control your language, or else our community will target your office.”

MLAs Balka Suman, Guvvala Balraj and Durgam Chennaiah wrote an ‘open letter’ to Bandi Sanjay in which they said the BJP state chief already enjoyed the ill-repute of being one who indulged in loose talk. “However, his comment against Dalits showed what the BJP’s ideology is,” they said.

“Sanjay once again proved that the BJP encouraged social evils like untouchability and believed in oppression of the dalits. Dr B.R. Ambedkar gave rights to Dalits who had been deprived of education due to oppression for generations. Dalit youths are now looking for opportunities of education and employment,” they said.

They said that after taking power in Telangana state, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao made efforts to see that Dalit children got higher education and rose to higher status. Hundreds of schools were established for the community. Now, educated Dalit children compete with everyone and some of them stand up as top rankers, the MLAs said.

“Dalit children have climbed Mount Everest. Apart from achieving ranks in IITs, IIMs and NEET, Dalits have got seats in leading universities and won gold medals,” the MLAs said.