'My support will be to the people': Jignesh Mevani on being asked about support for Rahul Gandhi's candidature for PM

Chennai: Dalit rights activist Jignesh Mevani on Saturday was evasive when asked about his stand on Rahul Gandhi, being propped by the DMK as the Opposition’s prime ministerial candidate. The independent MLA from Gujarat, when asked who he would support in the Lok Sabha polls next year, told reporters “my support will be to we the people, to the poorest of the poor, to the workers and peasants.” [caption id=“attachment_4309171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jignesh Mevani. News18[/caption] The Gujarat based activist was in Chennai to take part in a cultural event coordinated by noted film director Pa Ranjit. Asked specifically about his opinion on Rahul Gandhi’s candidature for the prime minister’s post, the MLA did not give a direct answer and said, “Yes, yes, we should get two crore jobs and farmers suicides should not happen.” Again, when asked if his support would be for the Congress, he repeated, “I support we the people…I support Ambedkar…Phule.” DMK president MK Stalin had on 16 December vowed to make Congress chief Rahul Gandhi the country’s next prime minister and lauded him for having the ability to defeat the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre. He stated this at a rally that day followed by the unveiling of a bronze statue of DMK patriarch and his father late M Karunanidhi at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai. Besides the DMK, key Opposition parties like Congress, TDP and CPM had come together at the event to reaffirm their resolve to dislodge the BJP-led NDA government. Mevani later joined those present at the event in raising the “Jai Bhim” slogan. To another quesiton, he referred to the electoral setback for the BJP in states like Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. The backdrop of such electoral drubbings and the Dalit assertion made it amply clear that notwithstanding the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and RSS, “they will not be able to bring back Dalits into the fold of RSS and BJP..they (BJP) will have to suffer a lot,” he said. He lashed out at the saffron party and alleged that it was “fascist” and has a “casteist, manuvadi mentality and agenda.”