New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) BJP today termed as “political pilgrimage” and “photo-op” Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Gujarat following attacks on some dalit men and accused the opposition of trying to make political capital out of social tensions.

With the party coming under increasing attack from opposition over its “anti-dalit” stand, senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu sought to highlight its pro-dalit and pro- weaker sections credentials by noting that it had highest number of SC, ST and OBC Members of Parliament.

He claimed in a press conference that the opposition was afraid because weaker sections of the society were moving to the BJP and the Modi government was “immensely popular”. So they have launched a disinformation campaign against it, he alleged.

They are doing so because of the UP assembly polls, he said.

“They, including our main rival (Congress) are instigating one community against another,” he said.

Attacking Gandhi over his Gujarat visit, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said he did not find time to visit Kerala where a dalit girl was raped and murdered and the Hyderabad university, where many dalit students committed suicide during the UPA government.

He also targeted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his likely visit to the place tomorrow.

“Now they are making a political pilgrimage. It is nothing but an attempt to make political capital out of social tensions,” he said.

Taking a swipe at Gandhi over reports that he dozed off in Parliament during the debate on the issue of attack on dalits, he said “Now he is doing a photo-op. We know what he was doing in Parliament”.

At another press conference, party spokesperson Vijay Sonkar Shastri hit back at Gandhi over his remarks that the dalit protest in Gujarat was an outcome of fight between two ideologies with Gandhi-Nehru-Ambedkar on one hand and BJP on the other.

He should not “misguide” the country with his “lack of knowledge” of history and eyeing dalit votes.

“Does Rahul know how much difference was there between the ideologies of Ambedkar and Congress? Nehru had created such a situation that Ambedkar had to leave Union Government.

Congress did not even confer him with Bharat Ratna.

Reacting over the furore over the expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh’s derogatory comments against Mayawati, Naidu said BJP had condemned them and acted against him.

However, comments made by opposition leaders against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including that he was “impotent” and remarks of Kejriwal that he was a “coward and psychopath”, were never withdrawn, he said.

Naidu claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was performing and “reforming and transforming” India and the opposition was unable to digest it.

He also referred to NCRB figures to reject the opposition’s charge that crime against dalits was increasing.

“We want social cohesion and we will do everything to protect it,” he said.

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi, Shastri said he needed to improve his knowledge of politics.

“He can not misguide with his childish knowledge that there are two ideologies. Congress had always hurt Ambedkar.

There are adequate evidences for this,” Shastri, a dalit leader, said.

Another party spokesperson Sambit Patra said Rahul and responsibility “don’t go together” as he referred to reports that the Congress leader had dozed off in Parliament during a debate on the dalit issue.

“Rahul sleeping in Parliament was only tokenism. The Congress has slept on the issue of Dalits for 70 years. Had it not slept, then this political tourism of Gandhi wouldn’t be required. It is because Congress did nothing, we are still discussing the issue,” Patra said.

Taking on Kejriwal, he said “Rather than going and doing politics in Goa, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, Mr Arvind Kejriwal today should answer why has he not asked for resignation of the MLA who is responsible for death of a woman? Who has abetted suicide of an AAP worker?”

Another spokesperson G V L Narsimha Rao, who too briefed the media, attributed the on-going outrage by opposition parties on the issue to “transformational governance” offered by Modi Government which has shaken up Congress, which he said, ignored dalit cause and engaged in corrupt.

PTI