BJP Rajya Sabha MP accuses Jabalpur drict collector of caste discrimination

Madhya Pradesh Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Valmiki has accused the Jabalpur drict collector of discriminatory behaviour against her for being a ‘Dalit’. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Valmiki (Twitter/@SumitraBJPMP) The allegations came as Valmiki allegedly did not get a seat on the stage during the Yoga Day celebration on June 21 in Jalabalpur where vice president Jagdeep Dhankar was present as chief guest. According to Valmiki, she was called on the stage later but her chair was pushed back. “I was not given any bouquet and also a proper seat on the stage because I am a Dalit,” Valmiki said. “Drict collector Saurabh Suman deliberately insulted me because of my caste,” she alleged. Also Read: High court fines Madras bar association over bias in 2012 discrimination case Meanwhile, a protest was lodged the MP’s supporters who burned the effigy of the collector on Friday. The Dalit leader has also written to chief miner Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP state president VD Sharma regarding the same. She said that she would also complain to the Minry of AYUSH and would raise questions in Rajya Sabha as well. Talking to local media persons, Valmiki said, “We (Dalits) have been tortured for centuries. Prime Miner Narendra Modi is trying to end this practice. He wants to give us equal status, but there are still some frustrated minds in society. As Nelson Mandela fought for apartheid throughout his life, Modi ji is also fighting for caste discrimination today.” On the allegation of the MP, drict collector Saurabh Kumar Suman said that they were only following the action plan as given to them the government. Suman also apologized to her. Meanwhile, the Congress called the incident “an insult to the scheduled caste community”. “They made a Dalit woman a Rajya Sabha MP for votes and politics. The purpose was never to give respect and equal rights to them. Union Ayush miner and the chief miner should apologize for that,” said Ajay Yadav, MP Congress spokesperson. ABOUT THE AUTHOR She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries. …view detail