‘Got funds for temple, but was kept away from puja’: UP BJP MLA says she faced caste discrimination

BJP MLA Jai Devi Kaushal has alleged that she was stopped from performing a puja at a temple because she belongs to the Pasi Dalit community.

The BJP MLA from Lucknow’s Malihabad constituency alleged that she faced caste discrimination during a renovation programme at the Sheetla Temple in Kakori in July. She said she got funds sanctioned for the temple’s renovation, yet was not even allowed to light incense during the ceremony. A priest told her to remain standing, she said.

“We provided more than Rs 1 crore in funds for two temples. People there even said that the MLA had got the money sanctioned and that they should get some work done through her as well. But the priest started reciting his verses and I was not allowed to do anything. After that, I left.”

We spoke to Kaushal and her husband, former MP Kaushal Kishore, about the incident.

Watch.

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