The Congress party on Monday slammed the BJP led NDA government at the Centre for its alleged "step-motherly" treatment towards Dalits and Tribals. It also criticised the CBSE's decision to increase the fee for Class X and XII board examinations.
"In the last six years, the BJP government has acted in a step-motherly way towards Dalits and Tribals. Dalits have become a victim of BJP's political indifference, social exploitation, and economic negligence," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a statement.
Criticising CBSE's decision to increase the fee, Surjewala said, "CBSE has increased the fees for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students for class 10th and 12th Board exams by 250 per cent. They will have to pay Rs 1200 instead of Rs 350. Similarly, for general category students too, it has been increased by 100 per cent. Now, they will have to pay Rs 1500 instead of Rs 750. BJP's promise of "Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas" is neither on ground nor on paper. The development of a few people and betrayal of the poor is BJP's intention and policy."
He also demanded immediate rollback of the fee hike saying that if the BJP government doesn't do so, it will prove that the move was yet another attempt to "crush" Baba Saheb's dream of "Sikshit Bano, Sangharsh Karo (Be Educated and Struggle)".
The Congress leader said the Constitution provided for reservations to empower Dalits and backwards to empower them against exploitation and inequality but the BJP government was running the country in "reverse gear."
Citing the Una and Rohit Vemula incidents, Surjewala said they are clear "evidence" of RSS and BJP's "attack" on the reservation provided in the Constitution.
"RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Manmohan Vaidya have openly advocated the abolition of reservation. BJP has always been against reservation for poor people. The entire country is aware that RSS sets the agenda and BJP government implements it. Now, tampering with reservation is another conspiracy (shadyantrakari agenda) of BJP," the Congress leader said in his statement.
Surjewala also alleged that it was BJP's aim to get SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act abolished forever.
Quoting the report of National Crime Record Bureau of 2016, the Congress leader claimed that a total of 40,801 cases of torture on Dalits have been registered.
"BJP government hid the number after 2016-17 because these were too big," he alleged.
( With inputs from ANI )