A controversy erupted on April 10, after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujata Mondal Khan made some disparaging comments against the Dalit community. In response to the TMC leader’s remarks, BJP has urged the National Commission of Schedule caste to take necessary action against her.
BJP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Bhupendra Yadav took to Twitter to share the memorandum submitted by his party to the National Commission of SC drawing its attention towards the blatant display of casteism by the TMC leader.
Quoting OpIndia report, the letter by BJP said that under Article 21 of the constitution of India, the members of the SC/ST community are entitled to equal rights and dignity like the people of any other community. “Even though Mamata Banerjee helped the poor Scheduled Castes. Yet their scarcity will never mitigate. There is a saying that some are beggars by nature while others are beggars by circumstance. The Scheduled Castes here are beggars by nature,” the BJP quoted the TMC leader as saying.
BJP urges National Commission for SCs to take strict action against TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan for calling Dalits ‘beggars’. India is a democracy built on the ideals of Baba Ambedkar. India has zero tolerance for such blatant casteism. pic.twitter.com/vc2hEuoXaf
— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) April 12, 2021
Condemning Mamata Banerjee’s party for constantly trying to polarise the electorate during the polls in the state by invoking religion or caste, BJP alleged that Sujata Mondal Khan has not only violated Constitutional principles but various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
“Such deeply shocking and insulting statements are a blow to the “socialist, secular, democratic, Republic” envisaged by Babasaheb Ambedkar and it is utterly shameful and disgraceful that such statements are openly and brazenly made by the ruling leadership of the Trinamool Congress to create enmity and hatred between different social classes in West Bengal”, read the letter, adding that BJP has urged EC to take action against Sujata as well as the “leadership” of the Trinamool Congress.
BJP urged the commission to launch an inquiry and action against the TMC leader for her disparaging remarks against Dalits.
Prior to this, BJP had also approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday urging it to take necessary action against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujata Mondal Khan for making derogatory comments against the Scheduled Castes (SC) community.
TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan labels Dalits as ‘beggars’, calls them ungrateful
For the uninitiated, while speaking to News 18 Bangla, Sujata Mondal Khan claimed, “Even though Mamata Banerjee has helped the poor Scheduled Castes, yet their scarcity will never mitigate.” Furthermore, the TMC leader remarked, “Mane ekta kotha thake na ki keu thake sobhabe bhikari aar keu thake obhabe bhikari. Ekhaner Scheduled Caste gulo holo Sobhabe bhikari. (There is a saying that some are beggars by nature while others are beggars by circumstance. The Scheduled Castes here are beggars by nature).”
She also accused the Dalit community of being ungrateful and siding with rival BJP.
A video of the same was shared by BJP’s SC Morcha on April 10.