Daijiworld Media Network - Mysuru(DC)
Mysuru, Mar 30: BJP national president Amit Shah was left embarassed as a meeting with Dalit leaders at Rajendra Kalamandira here on Friday, March 30 turned chaotic after some of the angry protesters raised slogans.
Shah had to face the heat from Dalit leaders demanded union minister Anant Kumar Hegde's ouster for his statement terming Dalits as 'barking dogs' and over the his call for a change in the Constitution. Hegde had made these statements in January.
However, when asked BJP's stand on the matter during the meeting, Amit Shah distanced himself from the controversial statements and said that neither his party nor he had anything to do with Hegde's remarks.
The Dalit leaders posed over a 100 questions in writing to Shah, but he said he would answer only six selected ones. Interrupting him during his speech, the Dalit leaders asked him his stand on controversial statement made by union minister Hegde. In reply, Shah said that he had nothing to do with the latter's statement. Enraged at his reply, the leaders lashed out at Shah and demanded that Hegde be removed from the cabinet.
Mysuru MP Pratap Simha tried to pacify the protesters but the situation went out of control with both the BJP and the Dalit leaders resorting to verbal fight.
The police immediately took the Dalit leaders into custody. A few protesters alleged that the BJP had harrassed the Dalit leaders during the meeting.
Shah who is in the state ahead of crucial Assembly polls is visiting Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya and Ramanagara which are considered as Vokkaliga heartland as part of Karunada Jagruti Yatre.
Meanwhile, the Karnataka Congress slammed Amit Shah for failing to answer questions raised by the Dalits.
"Why haven't you taken any action against your party man for such derogatory comments? This clearly shows that BJP endorses his hate-mongering," Karnataka Congress tweeted.
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