Dalit, tribals suffering under 'Manuvaad' Modi government, says Cong's Mallikarjun Kharge

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi government over recent incidents of atrocities against Dalits and Adivasis in various parts of the country and said the poor and deprived are suffering the brunt of 'Manuvaad'.

He said the Congress would not allow the constitutional rights of 140 crore Indians to be violated and will continue to oppose the "anti-constitutional thought process" of the BJP-RSS.

He said Home Minister Amit Shah insulted Dr BR Ambedkar in Parliament and the "same mentality" is being repeated in the BJP ruled states, as he cited incidents of attacks on Dalits and Adivasis.

In the last two days, he said, "1. A Dalit youth is murdered in police custody in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh. 2. In Balasore, Odisha, tribal women are tied to trees and beaten. 3. In Bhiwani, Haryana, a Dalit girl student is forced to commit suicide after being unable to pay her BA exam fees. 4. In Palghar, Maharashtra, a tribal pregnant woman has to travel 100 kilometers in search of an ICU and dies. 5. In Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, three Dalit families are forced to migrate because of caste-based attacks on them and the police remain silent."

"It is well known that atrocities are being committed against Dalits, tribals, backward and minority communities under the anti-constitutional rule of the Modi government. Those who are poor and deprived are suffering the brunt of 'Manuvaad'," he said.

"One crime is committed every hour against Dalit-tribal women and children, and according to NCRB, this figure has doubled since 2014. The Congress will not allow the constitutional rights of 140 crore Indians to be violated and will continue to oppose the anti-constitutional thought process of the BJP-RSS," he said.

Kharge's comments came a day after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi too referred to the "sad, shameful and highly condemnable" incidents in Dewas and Balasore and said "due to the 'Manuvaadi' thinking of BJP, such incidents are happening one after another in the states ruled by them"

Insisting that it was not possible without the support of the government, he said, "such barbarism against the 'Bahujans' of the country will not be tolerated at any cost. We are with them, we will fight with full force for their constitutional rights and to get them justice.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also said on Monday that the insult of Ambedkar and oppression of the weaker sections is the "basic mantra" of BJP's rule.

"It seems that under the BJP rule, the police have got a free hand to oppress the weaker sections like Dalits, Adivasis and the deprived," she added.