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While atrocities on
Dalits have been growing by leaps and bounds both the Delhi rallies were silent
on this key issue of Dalit self-respect, as both catered to the small
middle-class sections amongst the dalits. One took place on Dec.5th, calling
itself the "Dalit Swadhikar Rally"; the second took place on Dec.14th, calling
for reservations in the private sector. The first was organised by the NCDHR
(National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights); the second by the All India
Confederation of SC/ST Organisations of Udit Raj.
The first rally was
part of the WSF process, where huge NGO funds have been pumped in, to organise a
mammoth four rallies, which will continue for over a month. They have organised
these rallies starting on Dec.6th from Delhi, Kolkota, Jammu and Kanyakumari to
reach Mumbai on Jan.16th to participate in the World Social Forum. Besides
waxing eloquent on the evils of untouchability this inauguration had nothing
very concrete to say. It did not even put forward a single concrete demand.
Besides, it was flagged off by the most solid pillar of the casteist
establishment, the ex-president of the country, K.R.Narayanan; and was organised
by a body (NCDHR) that was conspicuously silent against the atrocities in
Gujarat, in which dalits were used as the foot soldiers of the Sangh Parivar.
This, even though the NCDHR has a presence in Gujarat. To add insult to injury,
at the inauguration, Narayanan quoted M.K.Gandhi — that Ambedkar baiter and
rabid upholder of the Chaturvarna system. The programme had more hot air and
rhetoric, little substance, neither on concrete demands nor on the fight against
globalisation.
In contrast, the Udit
Raj rally, though reformist in content and also totally silent on growing
atrocities on dalits, had something concrete to say. It hit out at both the BJP
and the Congress on the reservation issue, which was the main theme of the
rally. It put forward the slogans: demanding job reservation in the private
sector and higher judiciary, land reforms, compulsory and equal education,
withdrawal of remaining anti-reservation orders, enactment of the Reservation
Act and putting it in the Ninth schedule, etc. It also opposed the policies of
the IMF/WB/WTO in pushing anti-farmer, anti-labour policies in the country. Udit
Raj had opposed the Modi pogroms at that time. This rally ended by Raj appealing
to Sonia to be more reasonable on the question of reservations.
Neither of these
bodies put forward any programme for the annihilation of castes as the only
method of wiping out the despicable practice of untouchability. Today, while
fighting each and every practice of dalit oppression/discrimination there is
need to eradicate the very caste system from its roots. Being an age-old
practice, this requires enormous effort; consistent education against casteist
practices, however subtle and indirect; and fighting the upper-caste oppressors
and caste-biased state machinery. Of course both the WSF and Udit Raj will be
silent on key question. The WSF/NGO combine will talk endlessly of "dalit
empowerment" in the abstract. This is inconceivable without first destroying
the "power" of the elitist caste-class system. Without smashing the caste system
in toto, let alone "dalit empowerment", dalit self-respect is itself
impossible.
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