LUCKNOW: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Saturday said there should not be any politics in the name of atrocities on Dalits which he claimed to have been going on during successive governments in Uttar Pradesh. “What has happened in Hathras is most terrible. The incident of rape on a Dalit girl is a very serious issue,” he said. Athawale, who said he will be meeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, stated, “On the Hathras case, I have to say that there should not be politics in the name of atrocities on Dalits. It is not right to propagate about atrocities on Dalits during Yogi government.” “It is right that atrocities are taking place but it had been so during the Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and Akhilesh (Yadav) governments also,” he added. Backing CM Adityanath on the steps taken by him in the case, the Union minister said the manner in which the woman’s body was cremated was wrong and he would be taking up the issue of action on other officials. He said the reason behind such atrocities on Dalits is casteism and it will continue till people have casteist mindset.
Athawale said he wanted to go to Hathras on Friday but could not do so as the district administration had barred the entry of outsiders while adding that he would try to go next week, if allowed.
