MANALI: With an eye on dalit vote bank , Himachal BJP is conducting special event through its Sceduled Cate Morcha to ensure large scale mobilisation of the dalits in its favour.BJP leaders including chief minister, are wooing dalit voters on the name of social harmony. About 25 per cent population of Himachal is scheduled caste and they have been major target for both BJP and Congress.Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur , while attending a SC Morcha seminar at Patlikuhal in Kullu, said people belonging to scheduled caste (SC) have power to change the direction and state of the nation. “It was SC voters who helped us in making a strong government in state and Centre. Now we believe that dalits will again play crucial role in winning all four seats of Himachal in upcoming elections. Not a single SC vote should be wasted for Congress,” he said.The CM praised Bhimrao Ambedkar and said all parties have seen only vote bank in dalits. “This is not in hands of humans that in which family they are born. We cannot decide our caste. We have to work a lot to finish caste discrimination. We have to work together for humanity and for nation. Congress had an assumption that dalits belong to them. They had misled the people that India got freedom only because of Congress. Even I have seen that all the SC houses used to fly Congress flags as if BJP is anti-dalit. But the time changed and dalits realized that Congress had made them fool. Today, dalits are the foundation of BJP,” Thakur said.He further added that his own constituency has 29 per cent dalits who vote for him and it is because of them that he is chief minister of Himachal. He said majority of dalit MPs in the country are also from BJP. “I respect Virbhadra Singh . But unfortunately, he could not do much for the state despite having such a vast experience. Virbhadra government used to sleep in early years after winning elections and used to bring storm of laying foundation stones of schemes, even if not demanded by public, without doing provision for funds when election dates used to near. After coming to power, they used to undo most of our works and used to file cases against our people.”MP from Mandi constituency Ram Swaroop Sharma and forest and transport minister Govind Singh Thakur also requested dalits to support the party. “If any PM has given affection to Himachal after Vajpayee, it is Narendra Modi . This is our duty to make him PM one more time,” Sharma urged.Meanwhile, nearly 50 people, including some local leaders left the Congress and joined BJP during the seminar in teh CM’s presence.

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