Alleging that a Dalit MLA was not allowed to touch a brick during the puja at Lucknow’s Sheetla Temple, the Samajwadi Party strongly questioned the BJP’s slogan “If we divide, we will be cut.”
Lucknow: A major political controversy has erupted in the Kakori area of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Jai Devi Kaushal, BJP MLA from Malihabad, has made serious allegations of caste discrimination against her during the groundbreaking ceremony held for the renovation of the Sheetla Temple.
Discrimination and Identity Relations
The MLA, who belongs to the Pasi Dalit community, says she was denied the respect and authority a public representative deserves during this sacred ritual. Expressing her anguish, she said the priest didn’t allow her to touch even a brick or apply roli (red roli).
The MLA directly attributed this discrimination to her being a Dalit. She also claims she was made to stand continuously during the puja. They were not even allowed to perform tasks commonly performed in Hindu rituals, such as lighting incense sticks or breaking coconuts.
The entire incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The MLA had arrived at the temple with several local BJP leaders. Jai Devi explained that she had played a key role in securing government funding for the temple’s renovation. It was through her efforts that nearly one crore rupees were approved for the Sheetla Temple’s renovation.
Jai Devi, wife of the late Kaushal Kishore, a former Union Minister and two-time MP, expressed disappointment, saying that despite having been elected MLA from this constituency twice, she had done a great deal for the area and its people, yet she faced such caste discrimination.
She also reported that on the same day, she visited another temple in Malihabad, where the rituals were performed normally. According to the MLA, she had visited the Sheetla Devi Temple several times in the past, but had never experienced such mistreatment.
The matter gained momentum when the MLA’s son, Vikas Kishore, shared a post on social media about the alleged incident. In his post, he clearly stated that priest Shailendra Bajpai was performing the puja and Ramakant Gupta was chanting the mantras. It is noteworthy that the Tourism Department approved this renovation project only after the MLA’s persistent efforts.
Following the controversy, Azad Samaj Party District President Ajay Bharti reached the temple on Thursday with several of his workers and protested vehemently against the alleged caste discrimination.
People and Society
On the other hand, the temple administration has completely rejected all these allegations. According to media reports, temple manager Ramakant Gupta has refuted the MLA’s claims. He clarified that the temple is always open to people from all sections and castes of society.
The Samajwadi Party has also launched a strong attack on the ruling BJP over this matter. The SP says that this treatment of a Dalit MLA exposes the caste discrimination prevalent under the state government’s rule. Rambabu Sudarshan, National General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party’s Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini, termed the entire incident as extremely unfortunate.
The SP leader sarcastically stated that such an incident in the state capital, nine years after the BJP government’s rule, reveals the true picture of casteism in Uttar Pradesh. He stated that the allegations were not made by any opposition party, but by the BJP’s own sitting Dalit MLA.
Sudarshan also stated that if this had happened to an MLA from any other party, the BJP’s troll army would have already labeled it politically motivated. He stated that this incident is not just the suffering of a sitting Dalit MLA, but rather hurts the sentiments of millions of Dalits in the state and the country.
The SP leader also sharply criticized the BJP and RSS’s slogan “If we divide, we will be slaughtered.” He questioned whether the BJP intends to unite Hindus in this manner. Sudarshan sternly questioned whether such incidents raise the question whether the BJP even considers Dalits to be Hindus.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News