Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 28: Holding Congress totally responsible for the plight of Scheduled Caste (SC) people in the country, BJP Legislative Party leader in Punjab and Cabinet Minister Chuni Lal Bhagat today said that the party exploited the weaker sections of the society for vote bank only.
The Punjab Minister who is on the visit of Jammu region was addressing a party function at RS Pura near here today in connection with 15 day long birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar. It was organized by B J P Anusuchit Jaati Morcha.
Chuni Lal Bhagat, threw light on the struggle of Dr. Ambedkar and his pain for the Dalits across the country. He said that Congress ruled the country for decades after independence and it always misled the people SCs on the name of their welfare and upliftment.
He said that Congress took these people for granted and used them for petty vote bank politics. In early 50s, reservation to this community was granted in the constitution for 10 years with the promise that during this period, the SCs will come at par with other upper caste communities economically and otherwise also, but nothing charged due to unwillingness of the Congress led Governments to implement the policies in letter and spirit.
State President Jugal Kishore Sharma, while expressing grave concern over the step motherly treatment given to the refugees of West Pakistan, who are living in miserable conditions in Jammu province, said that majority of these people belong to Scheduled Caste community and their three generations have perished demanding grant of citizenship and other basic rights which are being enjoyed by other citizens of the country.
National Executive Member & Jammu East MLA Ashok Khajuria said that SCs are living in miserable conditions not only in rural areas but there still exist bastis/ colonies of SCs in urban areas and they lack basic amenities.
BJP MLA from Suchetgarh Constituency Sham Choudhary, Anusuchit Jaati Morcha State President Surinder Bhagat, Puran Chand Bhagat, Sat Pal Pappy, Swaran Singh Chib, Barjesh Rana,Subedar Ashok Kumar, Bishan Dass and others also addressed the function.