The Samajwadi Party’s Dalit MP Ramji Lal Suman was targeted yet again. Last month, his house was attacked in Agra. On Saturday, his convoy was hit with tyres and stones by a group of men from Karni Sena, protesting against his comments on Rana Sanga, a 16th-century Rajput king, in parliament.
Ramji Lal Suman had sparked a controversy when he called Ranna Sanga a “traitor for allegedly bringing Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. His comments sparked outrage across the Rajput community, with BJP leaders, Karni Sena and various Hindu organisations accusing the MP of insulting both Rajput pride and Hindu sentiments.
As the Rajya Sabha MP’s convoy crossed Aligarh on Saturday afternoon, scores of men, some waving black handkerchief, threw tyres and stones at the cavalcade, showed a video.
A stack of tyres was there on the road. “Murdabad, murdabad” slogans were heard as the tyres were tossed at the passing convoy, which was travelling from Hathras to Bulandshahr.
The impact was such that some cars collided.
‘Vande Matram’, ‘Jai Bhawani’, ‘Jai Rajputana’ slogans were also raised by the assembled men.
Although the MP had clarified that his statements were based on historical references and not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings, the controversy continues to escalate.
The Karni Sena maintains that the MP’s remarks are an insult to the legacy of Rana Sanga, who is revered as a symbol of Rajput valour and resistance.
Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, called the attack on his MP “deadly” and questioned the “shameful silence” of the Uttar Pradesh government.
“The deadly attack on MP Ramji Lal Suman ji by throwing tyres and stones on his convoy has led to an accident which could have turned into a fatal accident. This is a criminal act. Collecting so many tyres together is itself proof of a deep conspiracy. This is once again a deep lapse of intelligence or deliberate negligence. If the government and administration is trying to act ignorant despite knowing all this, then they should know that anarchy spares no one, one day BJP and their allies will also fall prey to such violent elements,” Mr Yadav posted on X in Hindi.
Questioning the law and order in the state, Mr Yadav asked if the attack was because the MP belonged to PDA, an abbreviation for pichde (backward classes), Dalits and alpsankhyak (minorities) – the expression Mr Yadav has been using since the general election earlier this year.
“Is there anyone in the country to take cognizance of the deadly attack on an MP or will the government of the supremacists go underground by maintaining a shameful silence because he is a ‘PDA MP’. Now, has the bulldozer lost its power or has the UP government surrendered to anarchy or is all this happening with the consent of the UP government? Terribly, utterly, utterly reprehensible! PDA says today, we don’t want BJP!” Mr Yadav said further.
The Aligarh Police has filed a case and the local outpost in charge has been suspended with immediate effect.
“In connection with some people throwing tyres on the convoy of MP Ramji Lal Suman Ji, a case has been registered under relevant sections at Thana Gabhana and the immediate arrest of the accused is being ensured. For laxity in the case, the local outpost in-charge has been suspended with immediate effect and departmental action has been initiated against the Thana in-charge. The MP has been brought back safely from Aligarh district. No one has been injured. There is peace at the spot,” said Superintendent of Police (City) Mrigank Shekhar Pathak.
Earlier, on March 26, violence erupted outside the residence of the MP in Agra. Unidentified individuals resorted to throwing stones, breaking window panes and vandalising vehicles parked outside.
Karni Sena leader Mohan Chauhan has announced a reward of Rs 25 lakh for anyone who kills the Samajwadi Party MP.
