Union minister Ramdas Athawale had suggested that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi marry a Dalit woman, saying casteism cannot be removed merely by having meals with the community. Accordingly, Gandhi (47) had recently said, in answer to a question, that he believed in destiny when it came to marriage. "This is an old question. He believes in destiny and it will happen when it does", he had said.
Meanwhile, the Dalit leader who heads the Republican Party of India (Athavale), an ally of the BJP-led NDA, said he could help find a match for the Congress scion. The Minister said "He had personally married a Brahmin girl which is in the line with B R Ambedkar's solution to dismantle caste barriers. It cannot be achieved only by eating together".
Moreover, when responding to a query, Athawale said Gandhi had changed recently as far as his leadership caliber was concerned. "He is not 'Pappu' anymore. He looks confident and hopefully can be a good leader," the Dalit leader said, referring to the nickname with which Gandhi was often mocked by a section on social media. Furthermore, another NDA constituent, the Shiv Sena, had recently said that Gandhi had the capability to lead the country.
