The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday called out the BJP-led Delhi government for insulting dalits by choosing to install portraits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya in the Delhi assembly on the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, instead of honouring the pioneering social reformer herself, AAP said in a press release. AAP Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar emphasised that the government not only failed to acknowledge a dalit icon who laid the foundation of women’s education in India, but also went a step further by initiating a privilege breach case against MLAs who raised the demand, calling it a clear reflection of the BJP’s anti-dalit mindset.During a press conference, AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bhaadwaj stated, “It is a very strange thing that on the birth anniversary of Mata Savitribai Phule, portraits of Pandit Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya are being installed. If even a Dalit icon’s portrait had been installed today, we could have struck a blow against the stigma of casteism that has existed for thousands of years. But the Delhi government missed this opportunity and instead installed portraits of two Brahmins. When it comes to installing the portrait of a Dalit icon, they face so much discomfort that they initiated a privilege breach case against MLAs, some of whom are Dalits and from the AAP.” Meanwhile, AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said, “A few days ago, a meeting was held in which we placed a proposal before the Assembly committee. Our MLAs said that Mata Savitribai Phule, whose birth anniversary is today, who opened the first school for women in this country, who faced immense atrocities yet never stopped educating women, should have her portrait installed inside the Delhi Assembly. I say this with great sadness that to suppress our voice, they initiated a privilege breach motion against our members, including against me personally, but they did not install Mata Savitribai Phule’s portrait there. Because she spoke about educating women. Because she came from the Dalit community and the backward community, her portrait was not installed.”Pointing to contrasting decisions, Kuldeep Kumar added, “Inside the Assembly, the entire government, along with the central government spent lakhs of rupees to install portraits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya. We have no objection to that. But we say this clearly that if you insult Dalit heroes and show hatred towards them, then we will not tolerate a BJP that insults Mata Savitribai Phule and refuses to install her portrait on her birth anniversary while installing portraits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malaviya. This is their anti-Dalit mentality.”
