The Times of India News Service

LUCKNOW: Chairman of the All-India Confederation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe organisations Ram Raj said that Dalits should shake themselves off from outdated superstitions for their own growth.

Speaking at a function organised at Khujouli Bazaar in Gosainganj, Ram Raj said that unless Dalits cast off rituals and spend money on educating their children, their plight would not improve.

He said that Dalits could become a potent force by embracing Buddhism. He also stressed that Ambedkar had realised years ago that old and outdated rituals worked as impediments for the upward mobility of Dalits. Ram Raj asked Dalits to embrace steps suggested by Ambedkar, which would be for their own benefit. Daya Ram Pal, former president of the Bahujan Samaj Party said, "Issues raised by Ambedkar should not be ignored at any cost, if at all we want to improve the condition of the Dalits".