Graphics: Deepak Saluja
Union Minister of State for External Affairs has once again created controversy over his ‘shocking’ remarks on the burning of two Dalit children near Faridabad in Haryana.
The former army chief said that government has nothing to do with the Dalit killings and blamed state BJP government for the incident.
“If someone throws stones at a dog, the government is not responsible” Minister Of State For External Affairs Gen (Retd) VK Singh said.
Singh added that that the whole incident is a case of personal enmity which is being investigated.
Two children of a Dalit family were burnt alive and their parents suffered injuries allegedly after some persons from upper caste set their house afire while they were sleeping on Tuesday at Sunped village on the outskirts of Delhi.
Seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the case on the basis of preliminary investigation. Three policemen have also been suspended for dereliction of duty.
The comments of Singh, Union Minister of State for External affairs, drew sharp criticism from the opposition, including the Congress, which demanded his immediate sacking.
“It is condemnable, it is shocking, it is inhumane to say the least. General V K Singh has insulted not only the entire Dalit community of this country but all Indians. It reflects
the mindset of the Modi government which insults Dalits, which insults the minorities and looks down upon the people who are poor and downtrodden,” Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said in Delhi.
He demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sack him and tender an apology on Singh’s behalf. Surjewala said a criminal case should be registered against the minister under Prevention of Atrocities on Schedule Castes Act.
Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari described the dog analogy used by Singh as “preposterous and abominable”.
“….comparing the death of two little children who were burnt alive to possibly the stoning of a dog…what could be more preposterous and abominable than that. This reflects the mindset of the government.
“To recall the Prime Minister of India made a similar analogy about two years back in an interview to Reuters when he said that if a pup gets crushed under the wheels of a car
that needs to be emphasised too. That remark was in the context of the Gujarat pogrom,” he said.
Singh, however, later clarified his statement was not intended to draw an analogy between the Faridabad incident and stoning of a dog.
“My statement wasn’t intended 2draw an analogy. My men & I put our lives on the line 4the nation irrespective of caste,creed & religion,” he tweeted.
“As citizens of this gr8 nation v r sensitive but also responsible.Agenda of India is bigger than any single neighborhood or individual,” he said in another tweet.