<p class="title">With the SC/ST communities in a churn over the dilution of the anti-atrocities act by the Supreme Court, the Congress has decided to reach out to the Dalits, who once formed the key support base of the party.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Congress leaders are planning a massive rally at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to press for a demand for the review of the Supreme Court directives on the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"About 8,000 protestors would converge on Parliament Street on Wednesday," Nitin Raut, the newly-appointed chairman of the All India Congress Committee SC Department said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address a conference on Dalit issues, which will be organised by the party on April 23 at the Talkatora Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court had on March 20 issued guidelines diluting the stringent provisions of the anti-atrocities law mandating the immediate arrest of a person, including government servants, on charges pressed under the law.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arrests in such cases should be made only after approval from the appointing authority and senior superintendent of police, the court had ruled.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dalits constitute almost 17% of India's population. If one adds STs, the total population of SCs and STs combined, as per the 2011 census, comes to 25% of the total population.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the years, Dalits had moved to Mayawati's BSP in Uttar Pradesh and later to the BJP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Congress retains its hold over Dalits in certain pockets but mostly the community has moved on to other political parties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last week, Gandhi had led a delegation of Opposition leaders to petition President Ram Nath Kovind on the dilution of the anti-atrocities act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP is facing the heat from the Dalit community over the Modi government's perceived lethargy on the issue of the anti-atrocities law.</p>
<p class="title">With the SC/ST communities in a churn over the dilution of the anti-atrocities act by the Supreme Court, the Congress has decided to reach out to the Dalits, who once formed the key support base of the party.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Congress leaders are planning a massive rally at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday to press for a demand for the review of the Supreme Court directives on the dilution of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"About 8,000 protestors would converge on Parliament Street on Wednesday," Nitin Raut, the newly-appointed chairman of the All India Congress Committee SC Department said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also expected to address a conference on Dalit issues, which will be organised by the party on April 23 at the Talkatora Stadium.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court had on March 20 issued guidelines diluting the stringent provisions of the anti-atrocities law mandating the immediate arrest of a person, including government servants, on charges pressed under the law.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arrests in such cases should be made only after approval from the appointing authority and senior superintendent of police, the court had ruled.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dalits constitute almost 17% of India's population. If one adds STs, the total population of SCs and STs combined, as per the 2011 census, comes to 25% of the total population.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Over the years, Dalits had moved to Mayawati's BSP in Uttar Pradesh and later to the BJP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Congress retains its hold over Dalits in certain pockets but mostly the community has moved on to other political parties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Last week, Gandhi had led a delegation of Opposition leaders to petition President Ram Nath Kovind on the dilution of the anti-atrocities act.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The BJP is facing the heat from the Dalit community over the Modi government's perceived lethargy on the issue of the anti-atrocities law.</p>