Atrocities against Dalits and the ongoing Kashmir unrest dominated discussions in Parliament on Thursday, the fourth day of the Monsoon Session. During the second half of Rajya Sabha proceedings, Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav said members of the community are being targeted across the country. He was speaking about the recent incident in Gujarat's Una town, where Dalit men were assaulted by a local vigilante group for skinning a dead cow. The incident has sparked major protests across the state.
“Who created these gau rakshaks [cow protectors], why doesn’t the government ban it? What is this tamasha [farce/drama]?" he asked. The Congress joined in with party legislator Ahmed Patel pointing out the several suicide attempts that have been made by Dalit protestors in the state over the past two days. “When Dalits are attempting suicide, the situation is very dire. If this is not brought under control, it might get worse,” he said.
Patel said Gujarat has the maximum number of manual scavengers in the country. Replying to him, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe said the problem is not limited to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state alone, and it would not be fair to criticise Chief Minister Anandiben Patel for the incident. "Unless we root out the issue of discrimination, such incidents cannot be stopped. As long as the Dalits, women or underprivileged are vulnerable, such incidents cannot end," he said.
Former BJP member Daya Shankar Singh's derogatory remarks against Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati also figured in the discussions. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and JD(U)'s Yadav demanded legal proceedings against the leader, who was sacked by the ruling party on Wednesday after he said the former Uttar Pradesh CM's character was worse than that of a sex worker.
On the Kashmir unrest, Home Minister Rajnath Singh Rajnath Singh said the Centre will form an expert panel to look into the use of pellet guns that have left hundreds in the Valley without vision in the past 10 days.
Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar introduced National Institutes of Technology, Sciences and Research (Amendment) Bill during the second half of the session. The House also passed the Transgender Persons Bill 2016 on the fourth day, taking the count of bills that got the nod this session to four.Meanwhile Lok Sabha reconvenes.
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