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Congress, BSP, SP fanning Dalit violence: Prasad (Lead)

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New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday accused the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) of fanning Dalit violence in various parts of the country for political gains.

He also took a dig at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, saying he should not tarnish the legacy of the office he is holding.

“Bhimrao Ambedkar said Dalit movement should not be violent. But some parties like the Congress, the SP, the BSP are fanning Dalit violence in a calculated manner for political gains,” Prasad told the media here.

Reacting to Gandhi’s day-old tweet in which he termed the RSS-BJP ideology as “oppressive” and said such ideology “can never respect the Dalits and Baba saheb (Ambedkar)”, Prasad said the office of the Congress President has a legacy and Rahul Gandhi should not forget that.

“Rahulji should not forget the legacy of the post he is holding. This post has been held by the likes of Indira Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,” Prasad said.

The senior BJP leader said the Congress’ “new found” love for Ambedkar was opportunistic as the party hardly cared for him. He also accused the BSP of deserting Ambedkar’s and another Dalit leader Kanshi Ram’s ideals and making the BSP a family party that “hardly cares for Dalits and their emancipation”.

“Ambedkar died in 1956 but the successive Congress government did not bother to confer him with Bharat Ratna. It was only in 1989 that the V.P. Singh government backed by the BJP conferred the honour on him,” he said.

He said the opposition’s allegations that the Modi government was trying to dilute the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was far from the truth as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after coming to power at the Centre in 2014, worked to strengthen the said Act.

“We have made very crucial changes to the SC/ST Act to make it more stringent and to plug the gaps,” he said.

Prasad quoted from a circular issued on October 29, 2007 by the then Uttar Pradesh government headed by BSP supremo Mayawati which said that the SC/ST Act must not be used to harass innocent persons and that if someone lodges a false complaint under the Act, legal proceedings under Section 182 of the IPC should be initiated against that person.

“This is a circular issued by Mayawati government, not by BJP,” Prasad said.

The Law Minister clarified that the Union government was neither a party nor was it called for a counter affidavit in the case where the Supreme Court passed an order that an accused need not be arrested under the SC/ST Act without a preliminary inquiry.

“Only the Attorney General was called for his opinion as the matter pertained to a central legislation,” Prasad said.

The Supreme Court on March 20 said the arrest of an accused under the SC/ST Act is not mandatory and recourse to coercive action would be only after preliminary inquiry and sanction by the competent authority.

Prasad also pointed out that it was the BJP that has made Ram Nath Kovind — a Dalit — the President of India.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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