BJP devotes itself to appeasing Dalits on Ambedkar Jayanti

Bengaluru: The BJP went all out to appease Dalits by organising a series of out-reach programmes on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti on Saturday.

Party state president B S Yeddyurappa, who is also the BJP's chief ministerial candidate, took the lead and participated in various programmes organised by the party to mark the occasion, heaping praises on Ambedkar wherever he went.

He started off his day by visiting a Dalit colony in Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district.

He had breakfast at a Dalit's house and later interacted with the local residents. Yeddyurappa had also hosted a lunch for pourakarmikas at his Dollars Colony residence in Bengaluru, where he himself served them the food.

The party's Dalit outreach programmes have come in the wake of nation-wide protests against the alleged dilution of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Opposition parties, especially the Congress, have been targeting the BJP government at the Centre in this regard.

Besides, the party is having a tough time defending itself on the controversial statement by Union Minister Ananthkumar Hegde on changing the Constitution. Although Hegde tendered an apology, the party leadership has been facing the ire of Dalits across the state during the election campaigns.

Yeddyurappa also had to face embarrassment while interacting with the Dalit residents in Nelamangala, when one of them took exception to Hegde's statement and demanded an explanation. The BJP state president took the trouble to explain the party's stand on the issue and assured him that the Constitution would not be changed.

The Congress leaders made use of the occasion to attack the BJP and the RSS. Speaking after inaugurating a programme at the KPCC office, Bengaluru Development Minister K J George accused the BJP and the RSS of dividing society on the basis of caste, much against the wishes of Ambedkar.

Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya claimed that the Congress was the only party that was following Ambedkar's principles.