Ramdas Athawale: Marry a Dalit, Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Ramdas Athawale yesterday suggested that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi marry a Dalit woman, saying casteism cannot be removed merely by having meals with the community

Union minister Ramdas Athawale yesterday suggested that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi marry a Dalit woman, saying casteism cannot be removed merely by having meals with the community. Gandhi (47) had recently said, in answer to a question, that he believed in destiny when it came to marriage.

Ramdas Athawale

"This is an old question. I believe in destiny. 'Jab hogi, tab hogi' (It will happen when it does)", he had said. The Dalit leader who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), an ally of the BJP-led NDA, said he could help find a match for the Congress scion.

"He (Gandhi) goes to houses of Dalit people occasionally and eats with them. I think he should marry a Dalit woman. If needed, I will help finding one (match) for him," the minister of state for social justice told reporters in Akola in east Maharashtra. Athawale said he had no intention to insult Gandhi regarding his marriage plans.

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