New Delhi, Jan 5: Dalit leader and Gujarat's newly elected MLA Jignesh Mevani on Friday denied
the charges of making inflammatory speech and asked Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to break his silence on the attack against Dalits.
On a day after Pune Police filed an FIR against him and JNU
student leader Umar Khalid over alleged inflammatory speeches during an event
in Pune, Mevani said in a press conference here that the ruling party and Sangh
Parivar were deliberately tarnishing his image.
“Members of the Sangh Parivar and BJP made childish attempt to tarnish my image and target me, but their seats went down from 115 to 99 in Gujarat,” he said.
Denying the charges of provocative speech and promoting enmity between different groups, he said he never went to Bhima-Koregaon or participated in the Bandh in Maharashtra though he was present in the state.
“I am an elected representative and an advocate. I know the Constitution and the law. My speech is online and anyone can see it. Not a single word was inflammatory. The BJP has been stung by winning only 99 seats in Gujarat and is targeting me. We must be allowed to protest legally. If a lawmaker can be targeted like this, then what about the common people," he asked.
He also announced that he would organise a ‘youth pride march' on January 9 in Delhi to raise the issues of social justice.
"At the end of the rally, I will go to Prime Minister's Office with the Constitution of India in one hand and Manusmriti in another. I will ask the Prime Minister, what he will choose,” Mevani said.
The Prime Minister should clarify whether Dalits have the right to conduct peaceful protest or not, he stated.
Mr Mevani alleged that after Rohith Vemula’s death, Una flogging, Shaharanpur violence and now Bhima-Koregaon, the Prime Minister has either remaining silent or didn’t takes any action.
“By targeting an established Dalit leader like me, the government has offended millions of Dalits of the country,” he said. Mr Mevani also warned the Prime Minister and the BJP that if attacks against Dalits continued, the community would teach BJP a lesson in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. UNI
“Members of the Sangh Parivar and BJP made childish attempt to tarnish my image and target me, but their seats went down from 115 to 99 in Gujarat,” he said.
Denying the charges of provocative speech and promoting enmity between different groups, he said he never went to Bhima-Koregaon or participated in the Bandh in Maharashtra though he was present in the state.
“I am an elected representative and an advocate. I know the Constitution and the law. My speech is online and anyone can see it. Not a single word was inflammatory. The BJP has been stung by winning only 99 seats in Gujarat and is targeting me. We must be allowed to protest legally. If a lawmaker can be targeted like this, then what about the common people," he asked.
He also announced that he would organise a ‘youth pride march' on January 9 in Delhi to raise the issues of social justice.
"At the end of the rally, I will go to Prime Minister's Office with the Constitution of India in one hand and Manusmriti in another. I will ask the Prime Minister, what he will choose,” Mevani said.
The Prime Minister should clarify whether Dalits have the right to conduct peaceful protest or not, he stated.
Mr Mevani alleged that after Rohith Vemula’s death, Una flogging, Shaharanpur violence and now Bhima-Koregaon, the Prime Minister has either remaining silent or didn’t takes any action.
“By targeting an established Dalit leader like me, the government has offended millions of Dalits of the country,” he said. Mr Mevani also warned the Prime Minister and the BJP that if attacks against Dalits continued, the community would teach BJP a lesson in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. UNI
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