From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jul 23: "The central and state governments must be held responsible for attacks against Dalits and poor in India," said Human rights activist and social reformer Martin Luther King III, here, recently.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said, "When incidents against Dalits, oppressed and the poor take place, whoever is in power at the state or central level, should be held accountable for such incidents."
Martin Luther King III was responding to a question on incidents against Dalits and poor happening under many state and central rules for decades and how the central government could be held responsible for lynching incident in Dadri when law and order was a state subject.
However, the facts show that such incidents against the oppressed and poor people have risen under Modi's central administration, and the Indian Prime Minister should address the issue to stay in power, Martin Luther King III said.
To a specific question, he said the incidents of attacks against Dalits and poor have increased after the Narendra Modi government came to power.
On the popularity of Modi in elections after elections across India during last three years despite such incidents taking place, Martin Luther King III said it is left to the people of India to choose rulers.
"I think the real and biggest question is what the people want. People in the last election chose Modi administration. Whether people of India will choose Modi in next election, I don't know. If they are against they need to rise up in numbers to oppose his rule," he said.
He, however, said India has managed to overcome some of the problem such as poverty, in spite of the large size of the country.
"India still have to go a long way to solve the problems of poverty and incidents against the oppressed and poor people," he added.
Referring to US President Donald Trump's administration, Martin Luther King III said Trump has to acknowledge the hate run in the US and address it, which has not done so far.
"When I go back to US, we did not have a lot of hate run in 2015. When Donald Trump started running his rhetoric in 2016 things started going up, but the time he got elected, it kept going further up. He has to acknowledge this, but he has't so far. He should acknowledge," he said.
At the inaugural address at Dr BR Ambedkar International Conference - Quest For Equity - 2017, Martin Luther King III had drawn a parallel between India and the US, saying both countries are ruled by people who have 'little regard' for the poor, and where there is no respect for the rule of law.
He said both India and the US are seeing a rise in hate crimes — a sweeping indictment of the Modi and Trump governments.
He said, "If my father were here, he would have stood by the Dalit demonstrations that the country is seeing in different places."