Remember Bharatiya Janata Party MP Udit Raj? The same Indian politician who once got criticised by cow vigilantes and right-wing activists for saying that Indians should follow Usain Bolt and consume beef as it is rich in protein. Yes, he is back in the news again, with a demand for the India cricket team this time around.
Raj, 55, who represents BJP from North-west Delhi constituency, asserted that he is putting forward the demand for having Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST) quotas in the India cricket team. He spoke to International Business Times, India on Thursday, revealing he is writing a petition to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about this.
"Not as a BJP member, but as the national chairman of the All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations, I am making this demand. I have been fighting for this since 20 years, but we are very serious right now. Just like the South Africa cricket team has a racial quota, we also want the same," Udit Raj told IBTimes, India.
"Through social media and action plans, we will take this movement forward. I'm writing the letter to BCCI within a week about this. There have been no preliminary talks with Anurag Thakur about this and he being a BJP member doesn't give us any advantage, as I have been demanding it for several years now. It is a social issue and I hope it gets fulfilled," he added.
The Dalit leader also stated that he wants the change both in the Indian Premier League as well as the India cricket team and if needed, he could approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the demand.
"If my organisation decides, we can also approach Narendra Modi on this. We want the SC/ST quota both in the IPL and the India cricket team," Raj added.
We also asked him if the Supreme Court verdict next year on the BCCI vs Lodha Committee war will have any implications, Raj said: "It doesn't concern us if the BCCI top brass is dismissed. We will write the letter to the BCCI. That's the aim, be it whoever comes into the power."
