Ramdas Athawale blames inter-caste marriages for Dalit atrocities, demands firearms for protection

The BJP government’s newly inducted Minister of Social Justice for State, Ramdas Athawale has raked up controversy by reiterating his demand to allow Dalits to possess firearms for self-protection, according to the Hindustan Times . 

Athawale on Tuesday said that inter-caste marriages and love affairs were to be blamed for the growing atrocities on Dalits. He said that the upper caste detest inter-caste marriages, which is the reason for the surge in Dalit atrocities. As the Minister of State for Social Justice, he said that his office should look into the matter, but said that the matter should ideally fall under the purview of Home Ministry. The minister, however, added that the firearms should be for self-protection only.

To drive home the point, Athawale took the example of the Sikh community, who in India are allowed to keep a Kripan, a kind of knife, for religious reasons. According to Athawale, “people are afraid to pick up a fight with them (Sikhs)” for this reason, he according to the Hindustan Times report.

Athawale, a prominent Dalit leader, who switched allegiance to BJP after breaking off from Congress and then NCP, has in the past too put forth a demand for such a rule. Earlier in January this year, the backdrop for the demand was the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula, while this time he proposed the idea citing atrocities on Dalits, according to a DNA report .

However, when the BJP government was mired in controversy over Vemula’s suicide, Athawale had distanced himself from the party’s political line stating his alliance was purely political and he did not agree with the BJP on a ideological level, added the report.

Athawale has made headlines with his other populist demands. Soon after taking up office, Athawale had advocated for reservations for Marathas, Jats and Brahmins as well, without harming the present quota, as reported in The Hindu . He also batted for the longstanding demand for reservation for Dalits in the private sector.

Athawale has also sought for a legislation from the Maharashtra government, to ensure that funds allotted for the benefits of Dalits are not diverted to other projects, according to a report in India Today .

The Rajya Sabha MP gained prominence in the news once again when he was inducted as a Minister of State in the Modi government’s Cabinet reshuffle . The latest ministerial berth, it is being said, is awarded to him to target the Dalit votes in the upcoming UP Assembly elections.