Rahul Gandhi reaches out to kin of Dalit victims in Gujarat, announces Rs 5 lakh as aid

Taking the debate over atrocities on Dalits outside Lok Sabha, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi met the kin of the Dalits thrashed in Una for skinning a dead cow.

According to a kin of the victims, Gandhi, who spent around 40 minutes with the family members, said he is “ashamed” that such incidents are taking place in India.

“We narrated to him (Rahul) what happened with my cousins and uncle. He listened to us patiently and assured us all help so that we can get justice,” Jitu Sarvaiya, a cousin of the victims, told reporters after Gandhi left.

“Rahulji said he feels ashamed that such incidents are still taking place in the country and gave his personal number to us to contact in case of any emergency,” he said.

The Congress Vice President met Balubhai Sarvaiya and his family members, after landing at the nearby Union Territory of Diu. Seven of family members of Balubhai including him were beaten up in the incident.

“He (Rahul) also asked questions about issues and discrimination being faced by us in our village. We told them that still the practice of untouchability is prevalent here as we are made to stand away from others,” Jitu, who is studying engineering at a college in Bhavnagar district, said.

“We demanded from him that those who were involved in the incident should be given exemplary punishment and kept behind bars for their entire life or else they will once again do this to someone else,” he said.

“We also told him about police not coming to help us when cow activists were beating my cousin brothers,” he said.

“We also told him that after the brutal beating for skinning of dead cows. Our family has decided to leave this business of leather….we will work as labourers but never get involved in this traditional business of ours,” Jitu said.

“We also sought financial help describing the poor conditions of our family for education of our children so that in future they can have a standing of their own,” he said.

Later, Rahul Gandhi left for Rajkot where the victims of flogging are undergoing treatment. Gujarat Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar later said that Rahul will give Rs 5 lakh as aid to family of the victims.

Sixteen persons have been arrested so far in connection with the assault on Dalits, while four policemen have been suspended for dereliction of duty.

Una, a remote village  near Una town of Gir-Somnath district, has been the epicentre of politics since a video showing some self-procliamed cow vigilantes thrashing Dalits for allegedly skinning a cow went viral.

The issue picked up steam in both Houses as the Monsoon Session was on, forcing Rajnath Singh to concede that recurring incidents of violence against Dalits is an social issue.

Meanwhile, political leaders turned up in a beeline in Una to to score points. Gandhi’s visit comes on the heels of Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel’s visit. AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is due to visit next on Friday, according CNN News 18.

Battling BJP over the issue Congress has on Wednesday announced the meeting. However, in what could be major embarrassment to the party, the Gandhi scion was allegedly caught napping in Lok Sabha while the house was debating on violence against Dalits.

Gandhi drew much flak from fellow parliamentarians on the issue, however, Congress’s fire-fighting machinery was quick at his rescue. “When the Dalit issue was being discussed in house, Rahul Gandhi was sleeping. This shows how serious Congress is on the issue,” Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said attacking Gandhi, according to a News 18 report.

The congress rubbished the claim and said Gandhi was looking down to check his phone.

His visit to Una on Thursday, however, is being termed a political gimmick. BJP has called it a “photo-op show”. BJP said that Congress’s hypocrisy has been exposed as, on Wednesday Rahul Gandhi was sleeping in Lok Sabha and on Thursday he was out meeting the Dalit victims.

However, Gandhi has been quick to reach out to victimised Dalits in the past as well. When Rohith Vemula, a Dalit scholar from Hyderabad university had committed suicide, Gandhi was among the first politicos to reach out to the kin and colleagues of Vemula, as reported in Firstpost  at the time.

With inputs from PTI