BJP goes all out to woo Dalits

In a bid to woo Dalits, in the aftermath of the recent upsurge of the community, after the Supreme Court's "dilution" of the SC/ST Act, Union Minister Vijay Goel held a ceremony to pay tribute to Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Goel stressed that the Modi government had been a harbinger of the welfare of the downtrodden and marginalised sections of the society as he underlined the contribution of Phule, his social reformer wife Savitribai Phule, along with that of Dalit icon Babasaheb BR Ambedkar.

According to Goel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would celebrate 'Gram Swaraj Abhiyan' from April 14 till May 5, in order to highlight the pro-people schemes and policies of the Modi government in rural India with "special emphasis on farmers, women and young entrepreneurs".

"This pan-India movement will also aim to counter the divisive and communal politics by the Opposition, especially the Congress by putting forward the vision of development and progressive politics envisioned and executed by the BJP-led NDA," Goel said.

The Union minister stated that the BJP, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, was working for the upliftment and empowerment of the backward classes that animated the ideal of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'.

"Policies of the Modi government such as Mudra, Stand Up India, Start Up India etc. are all aimed at providing the backward sections a platform to excel in life and society."

On April 14, a 'Mega Dalit Lunch' programme on Ambedkar Jayanti would be organised at Goel's residence in Delhi.