Former deputy chief minister and senior Congress leader G Parameshwara on Thursday lamented that despite his educational qualification and the positions he has held in the party and the government, he’s still not allowed to enter a temple for being a Dalit.
Addressing a gathering at an event to mark Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram Jayanti at his constituency, Parameshwara said, “I have done a PhD, have gone to foreign countries, was a deputy chief minister and a sitting MLA but I was not allowed inside the temple. They tell me to be at the entrance saying that they would bring the mangalaarathi. They never allow me to enter the sanctum sanctorum. Despite all the talks of development and equality, such a system exists even today in the society,” he rued.
“A dog can drink water from the pond but Dalits are barred from even venturing close to it. We hear and see such incidents even today. There’s a need to introspect and an awareness to change it,” the former KPCC president said.
“I haven’t seen discrimination based on caste anywhere in the world. If we question it, they call it Indian culture but discriminate people based on caste creed and colour,” he added.
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(Published 14 April 2022, 17:26 IST)
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