Marathas & Dalits should remain united, says Ramdas Athavale

In an interview with DNA's Sanjay Jog, the union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athavale said the mastermind behind Monday's Bhima-Koregaon violence needs to be dealt with firmly.

Was Monday's violence pre-planned?

All these years ''Vijay Diwas'' was celebrated without any untoward incident. Some forces may have been behind Monday's incident to get political mileage. The chief minister has already ordered a judicial probe. I want to appeal to maintain peace and stay cool.

Do you suspect it was an attempt to pit the Maratha and Dalit communities against each other?

I do not want any such colour to be given to the incident. I am against any conflict between Maratha and Dalit communities. There was no such conflict over the years especially in Bhima Koregaon.

I was at the forefront to demand reservation in jobs and education for the Maratha community. I have earned the confidence of Marathas in the state.

Any conflict between Maratha and Dalit impedes the progress of the village, state, and the nation. Both should remain united for the sake of development.

Marathas should be more accommodating towards Dalits. I am on board with the concerns of Marathas about the perceived misuse of the Atrocities Act. However, any opposition to the Act or its misuse should be done by Constitutional means. I have been advocating that innocents should not be unnecessarily harassed.

Are Maratha and Dalit communities still fighting over the Kopardi rape incident and the killing of the Dalit student at Kharda village?

In the Kopardi rape case, three Dalit youth were involved and I had demanded that they should be executed. The court has recently announced their execution. All rapists are criminals and they do not belong to a particular caste.

However, in the case of the killing of the Dalit teenager, Nitin Age, all accused have been released after eyewitnesses changed their confession. There is displeasure among the community.

I feel that in such a situation political parties should maintain restraint so also all communities.