February 28, 2019 Justice. Liberty. Fraternity. Equality www.dalitpost.com Brick workers demand end to bondage In many cases, Brick kiln workers pass on their debt and poverty to their chil- dren, who end up working at the brick kilns and very often in inhuman con- ditions..... Dalit Post - page 8 What Dalits in India want... - page 2 I don’t want to be a Divisive policies chowkidar... undermining growth - pg 3 - page 4 Image credit: Courtesy Satish Acharya The BJP’s do A taste of his or die own return medicine? battle in - page 7 of the the Brahmin? Northeast... - Saeed Naqvi -page 11 - Sujit Chakraborty -page 12 Do facts As usual, BJP Poor add up to Athawale suppressed representation Yogi’s senses a Dalits, of women in claims? kill.... Backward NE politics... communities... - page 9 -page 13 -page 14 -page 15 Much, Much More Inside! For free private circulation Atrocities... Dalit POST www.dalitpost.com February 28, 2019 2 What Dalits want... ‘You are Dalits, politics In Uttar Pradesh, there nate delay in courts while are around 65 Dalit castes seeking justice. And they is for us’ “You are Dalits. You all who fall under the Sched- see justice delayed as jus- are downtrodden. You uled Caste (SC) category. tice denied. So, they want belong to Scheduled In the districts of eastern this to change. Castes. Politics is for us UP, their population var- In UP, there are more (Kammas). The leader- ies between 16% and 40% than 40 Dalit communities ship posts are reserved of the total SC population. who have not yet able to for us. Then why the In every district of UP, at produce their community f*#k are you fighting? least 20 Dalit castes can leaders. These communi- Why do you need poli- be found. Among them, ties have not had any po- tics, instead of thinking the Jatavs are the largest litical participation. They about how to raise your kids with social group who consti- don’t have their own MPs, constituency. - Badri Narayan affection?” TDP MLA Chintam- tute more than half of the Dalit MLAs, etc. Many of them do not “Is it fair (to stop me)? Po- aneni Prabhakar is seen making population in eastern UP. Pasees even have village pradhans from litically you should remember “In spite of their this declaration in a video that has are second largest community their own caste. So, no one facili- something. You are Dalits. You all numbers, most gone viral in the last 48 hours. in the villages of eastern Uttar tates dissemination of democratic are downtrodden. You belong to The MLA was reported- Pradesh. Dalits here are fruits to such communities. Mush- Scheduled Castes. Politics is for us ly speaking in his constituency In spite of their numbers, most still landless. The hars, Haris, Beldars, Kuch Badhi- (Kammas). The leadership posts Denduluru in November last year, Dalits here are still landless. The yas, Nais, etc. among Hindus and are reserved for us. Then why the desire for a piece after a minor political scuffle. But desire for a piece of land is central Rangrejs, Nais, Jogis, Dafalies, f*#k are you fighting? Why do of land is central with the video surfacing now, to Dalit psyche in Uttar Pradesh. etc among Muslims fall in this you need politics, instead of think- Prabhakar is facing severe criti- One can find similar desire among to Dalit psyche” bracket. ing about how to raise your kids cism for the assertion that Dalits Dalits in the states of Madhya These communities want with affection?” he asked. don’t need to be involved in pol- Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh in the Indian society. Indeed ‘beti– space in democratic political Dalit groups across Andhra itics. Prabhakar was reportedly and other parts of India too. The roti’ relations have to be remapped domain. It will be interesting to are demanding action against the speaking in the context of a Dalit Congress, during the days of In- with establishment of inter-caste know that many of these com- legislator for his remarks, under leader, who had joined YSRCP, dira Gandhi, had promised to pro- marriages and inter-caste dining munities don’t vote for Mayawati relevant provisions of the SC/ST opposing Prabhakar’s visit to the vide land to Dalits. It was a part of relations for eradication of caste and the BSP. Even, the BSP has (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. the famous 20-points program but inequality from Indian society. not reached out to them. Many of this promise has yet to be fulfilled. Dalits, especially the educated them voted in the 2014 parliamen- The second key desire of Dalits ones, are very protective about the tary election and in the 2017 state 1,545 atrocity cases in is to get out of their condition and Constitution. They feel an emo- Assembly election for BJP can- secure their livelihood. Most Dalit tional tie with it because it was didates in different parts of Uttar 2018 in Gujarat communities have harnessed their formed and evolved by Babasaheb Pradesh. Now, many of them are own traditional caste based occu- Ambedkar. Secondly, the Indian not satisfied with the BJP and are pational skills. The Bansores were Constitution provides them relief looking for political alternatives. skilled in bamboo work, Mushhars from atrocities and oppression. It One can call them invisible know how to make beautiful pattal also provides promise of equality. and most marginalized Dalit from mahua leaves. They see the Constitution as an communities. Such communi- These communities drew instrument of Dalit emancipation ties are present in other states their sustenance from their artis- from oppression and atrocities. like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, tic skills which were the source of The demand for proper reli- Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, etc. their livelihood in the traditional gious space and religious equality The demand for proper religious society. Due to modernity, their is also there among the Dalits. If space and religious equality is traditional occupations are on the someone visits Dalit hamlets in also there among the Dalits. If verge of extinction. In the new interior UP and other parts of the someone visits Dalit hamlets in market economy, they have been Hindi heartland, one can find local interior UP and other parts of pushed to the periphery to become Dalit deities worshipped under the the Hindi heartland, one can find mere physical laborers in infra- pipal or neem tree. They desire for local Dalit deities worshipped structure and other sectors. There a temple, a defined space for their under the pipal or neem tree. Times of India says Gujarat has If the average of the figures of the is a deep urge amongst many Dalit own deities They desire for a temple, a de- registered a disquieting spike in entire state is considered, then communities for the revival of That is why many educated fined space for their own deities. cases of atrocities against Dalits crimes against Dalits remained their traditional artisanal occupa- Dalit hope that the new govern- The temple space for them is not with every passing year — 2018 at around 1,000 per year. The of- tions in modern form. ment, voted to power in 2019, only a religious space but also alone accounted for 1,545 cases, fences went below 1,000 between The Khadi Bhandar model will make public reading of the a space for social gatherings, a the highest since 2001. According 2003 and 2006, with each year may be one way for the revival and Preamble of Indian Constitution space which gives them a sense to the figures on atrocities against in that period reporting 897, 929, reorganization of their artisanal mandatory in schools. They, off of identity. Dalits also want to Dalits obtained through an RTI 962, and 991 cases. occupations. Dalit communities course, do not want any dilution be able to enter the temples of reply, the 1,545 cases include 22 In 30 villages in the state po- remained the biggest sufferers of in the provision of reservation. A mainstream Hindu deities. Any murders, 81 cases of grievous lice protection is given to Dalits the caste system of the Indian soci- section of Dalits shows its aggres- religious exclusion hurts them. hurt, 104 rapes, seven cases of after being attacked by the so- ety since time immemorial. Baba- sive complaint of growing atroci- The desire to emerge out of arson, and 1,331 other offences. called upper caste people. Dalit saheb Ambedkar proposed anni- ties on Dalits by upper and middle poverty and the need for supportive According to the daily, the rights activist Kaushik Parmar, hilation of caste for emancipation castes in various states. They want governmental schemes like pension figures show that in 2018 Ah- said that these figures are the tip of of Dalits. He also proposed promo- strong state intervention against yojana are constant demands of the medabad registered 140 cases of the iceberg. “When a Dalit is sub- tion of inter-caste marriage as one such cases atrocities. Many Dal- larger section of Dalit communities. atrocities — the highest in all of jected to atrocity, it is difficult for way to remove caste system from its desire that states and the new These points should be noted by po- Gujarat — against Dalits. him to lodge an FIR with police,” the Indian society. Many literate government at the Centre should litical parties while drawing up their In fact, Ahmedabad has re- said Parmar. “Besides, Dalits are and urban Dalits think that the ensure quick justice. As we know, election manifestos.