Akhilesh has anti-Dalit mindset, pushed to margins by UP voters: Asim Arun

Lucknow: Social welfare minister Asim Arun on Tuesday attacked Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav for an anti-Dalit mindset, describing him as a "symbol of divisive politics".
The former IPS officer claimed that when SP was in power in UP, officers from SC/ST communities were routinely sidelined for postings.
"During the SP regime, officers from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were denied postings at police stations and tehsils in violation of rules. Under the Yogi Adityanath govt, postings are now made on merit. Those who are incompetent face action, while hardworking officers receive training and resources," he said.
Arun went on to allege that during Yadav's tenure as CM, the latter went to great lengths to humiliate Dalits, and it was this very mindset that led to his political downfall. Referring to recent statements of Yadav as part of a calculated political strategy, the minister said that most SP leaders were instructed to create social divide. However, people of UP are now alert against such politics and have pushed Yadav and his party to the margins, he said. Quoting CM Yogi, he added: "Batoge to katoge, ek rahoge, to safe rahoge."
He accused SP of showing sudden concern for Dalits only after it lost power in the state, recalling how Yadav renamed districts and institutions named after Dalit icons like Bhim Nagar, Mahamaya Nagar, Jyotiba Phule, Sant Ravidas, and Mahamaya Nagar were changed under his regime. "Is this respect? No, this is an insult to social consciousness," he said.
Highlighting the achievements of the current dispensation with regard to the welfare of SCs and STs, Arun said there was record progress in scholarship distribution. Scholarships worth over Rs 4,000 crore were distributed this year, benefiting 56 lakh students. In contrast, the SP govt covered only 34 lakh students, and even then, scholarship scams were rampant," he said.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Kanpur Metro project, Arun dismissed SP's claims that it initiated the project.