A Dalit Congress leader in Gujarat’s Junagadh city has threatened to convert to Islam if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state does not seek the resignation of saffron party MLA Geetaba Jadeja and the arrest of her husband. Congress’s Junagadh city SC/ST cell president Rajesh Solanki’s son was allegedly assaulted by BJP MLA Geetaba Jadeja’s son in May.
Solanki, who also heads the Junagadh Jilla Anusuchit Jati Samaj — a group representing the Dalit community — on Wednesday went to the Junagadh District Collector’s office and collected application forms to seek the state government’s permission for religious conversion. He said, along with him, around 150 members of the extended Solanki family would convert to Islam if the BJP government didn’t act against Geetaba and her husband Jayrajsinh Jadeja before August 15.
“BJP has been ruling Gujarat for the past 25 years, and at least 5,000 incidents of atrocities against Dalits have been registered during this period. Victims of Una atrocities have not got justice even after eight years. It is the duty of the Gujarat government to protect citizens, but Gondal Ganesh, who is the son of the sitting MLA and a former MLA, kidnapped my son,” a report by Indian Express quoted Solanki as saying.
The Congress leader said if the Gujarat government and the BJP don’t listen to his demands, his community will hold a huge rally in Gandhinagar and submit memorandums to the Chief Minister, Governor, and the BJP president to demand justice for Dalits.
“If the government doesn’t move even after that, we shall convert to Islam as it won’t make sense to be part of a religion whose members break our backs, but who are happy to marry their daughters to those who offer namaz while refusing to acknowledge us as fellow Hindus,” he told Indian Express.
Solanki’s son, Sanjay Solanki, a leader of the Congress’s student wing NSUI, was allegedly assaulted by Geetaba Jadeja’s son, Jyotiradityasinh alias Ganesh, prompting widespread outrage. Jyotiradityasinh has been arrested for the alleged assault.
As per the First Information Report, 26-year-old Solanki asked Jadeja to drive carefully on Thursday night when the latter’s car passed too close to Solanki’s two-wheeler in the Kalva Chowk area. Angered, Jadeja and his associates followed Solanki to his residence on Datar Road but left after Solanki’s father, who knew Jadeja, intervened.
When Solanki went out on his two-wheeler early in the morning, a car with Ganesh Jadeja’s men in it allegedly rammed it from behind around 3:00 am. As Solanki fell to the ground, five men stepped out, allegedly beat him with sticks, and put him in the car.
He was taken to Jadeja’s residence in Gondal where Ganesh and others mercilessly thrashed him and asked him to quit the NSUI, the complainant said, adding that in the morning, the accused dropped Solanki at Bhesan crossroads.
