Gujarat Speaker Rajendra Trivedi says BR Ambedkar was a Brahmin

Highlights BR Ambedkar was a Brahmin, so is PM Modi, says Gujarat Speaker

Any learned man can be called a Brahmin: Rajendra Trivedi

BJP parliamentarian Udit Raj questioned if Speaker was aware of history

In a season of controversies, the Gujarat assembly speaker seems to have just waded into one. Speaking at the 'Mega Brahmin Business Summit' in Gandhinagar on Sunday, Speaker Rajendra Trivedi described Dalit icon BR Ambedkar as a Brahmin."There is nothing wrong in calling a learned person a Brahmin," he explained, in his contribution to a topic that is being debated nationally since violence during protests by Dalits over a perceived dilution of laws to protect them from discrimination."I have no hesitation in saying that BR Ambedkar was a Brahmin. There is nothing wrong with calling a learned person a Brahmin. In that context, I will say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also a Brahmin," Mr Trivedi told news agency ANI.Mr Trivedi did not stop at that. According to him Ram was a Kshtriya and Krishna was an OBC (Other Backward Caste).The Speaker's comments on Ambedkar and PM Modi have not gone down well with some in the ruling BJP. Udit Raj, a BJP parliamentarian, questioned if the Speaker was aware of the Indian history. He said he couldn't fathom why Mr Trivedi made the comment, given that Ambedkar "fought injustice and discrimination throughout his life."On Buddha Jayanti, the mass conversion of Dalits to Buddhism is a "dangerous situation," Mr Raj told news agency ANI. "The reason is social injustice. Dalits are beaten up for even having a moustache. I do not know what alternative they have. This is really a dangerous situation," he said.On Sunday, a group of Dalits in Gujarat's Una reportedly converted to Buddhism. They claimed that they took the decision as they were not considered as Hindus and stopped from entering temples. Earlier on March 1, a similar incident came to light in Karnataka's Kalburagi district, where over 60 Dalit families converted to Buddhism.

On May 3, the Supreme Court will resume hearing on the centre's plea seeking a recall of the top court's judgement holding that arrest on a complaint under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is not mandatory.The central government had moved the Supreme Court after Dalit groups accused it of not acting after a court verdict they felt diluted a law meant to protect people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.