The BJP patriarch and former deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, who is on a self-imposed exile from the politics, has broken his silence on the dalit atrocities in Gujarat and the current ongoing tension in Kashmir.
Shortly after his visit to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on Monday, Advani, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Gandhinagar, has said that the attacks on dalit community in Gujarat (Una) were “condemnable.”
He said, “This has not been the first time Dalits have been attacked in India. It has been happening for a long time. Whoever who follows Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology and also believes in Gandhiji’s cause have naturally condemned in such incidents.”
LK Advani
He further added, “Few days ago also there were incidents of attack on Dalits somewhere in this state and if in any case the dalit community has experienced pain it is natural for them to react on this issue.” Advani’s remarks on the dalit atrocity issue has come at a time when the Congress alleged that the Union government has time to further deliberate on Balochistan, but not on dalit issues.
On the ongoing tension in Kashmir valley, Advani said, “I feel sad and also disheartened when people refer to India and Kashmir as the two separate entities. We are not detached. The situation is grim in Kashmir because of these recently emerged outfits that have encouraged and spread terrorism. This is a matter of concern for all of us.”
Advani was on a day-long visit to Ahmedabad, and was also there to participate in a few local events, He also inaugurated the AMC project which used his MPLAD grants. He was also accompanied by the newly-appointed state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani.
