Sanjay Kumar Bhasin
In this country so called upper caste judge the merit of lower caste without any yardsticks but caste only. Unfortunmately there is no body to judge the merit of so called upper caste micro-minotity of this country.These so called meritoious go on writing their opinion or poke their nose in every issue especially issues of welfare pertaining to Dalitbahujans. Every Tom, Dick and Harry go on airing/writing on the subject that actually they do not know, they write for the purpose of writing only to retain hegmony. One such opinion of a columinsit, I recently read in this established local daily with good reputation amongst the readers. The title of the column was, Dalit Issues, Caste System & Dirty Politics. There are three issues touched in the article by the writer i.e. Dalit Issues, Caste System & Dirty Politics Unfortunately writer failed to do justice with the title. Keeping in view the fabric of the Indian Social Order (ISO), an unbiased opinion could have contribted nicely for reforming the ISO. The learned writer (if he is, but from the writing sillks it does not seems so) starts his write up with story of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Hyderabad University research scholar, who got PhD seat on merit in the university. He labels this senastional murder in the hands of sociopolitical and bueurocatic system of this country as “politics on murder”. He further went on labelling Dalit assertion as “So Called” and Hindu movement as the “Real One”. He says, ” there are so many suicides taking place in our country but why so much hue and cry for Dalit suicides”. The poor guy with poor social knowledge tried to equate the suicide (murder) arising out of social opression to suicides arising out of failure of Love Triangles or so. The poor fellow probably does not know the genesis of Dalit suicides in India, he also does not know the genesis of upper caste suicides in India.
The writer tries to glorify the social fabric of the country whose basic essence before adoption of the Constitution of Modern India was: Dor-Gambar-Shudhar-Pashu-Nari: Yah Saab Tadan Kaye Adhikari. The writer thinks that publicity to Dalit issues in media shall create a wide gap within the Hindu fold. He forgets that his this article adds fuel to the fire. He probably also does not know that the gaps within Indian Social Order started widening since the Aryan inavsion, continued vigriously in Medival period and today it is there in a modified form, in spite of the fact that the wonderful Constitution of the country does not permit it. The writer due to his poor knowledge on the subject does not know that the country ruled by so called upper caste micro-minority failed to abolish casteism in India inspite of well defined Article 17 on this very senstive issue. End of casteism could have ended reservation as well as economic imbalances. The caste exists in India Socially, Culturally and Politically as well. The micro-minority of this country still practice casteism but not so openly due to constitutional bar.
The another wrong submission of the writer is that quality of life of Dalits in India is similarl to overall population of India. He cited some small study survey. Before writing such article he should have studied Socioeconomic Census of 2011 done by GoI. The pathetic eduactional, health, economic, housing, agriculture, land ownership rights and other aspects related to Dalits are eye openers. These parameters tell real Dalits story. But he should be patted on the back for his one true but contradictory to his own other averments that Dalits in India are used by upper caste as their political stooges, in view of their low socioeconomic and eduactional conditions. He further contradicts his own statement when he says that caste has been eradicated from India. His further submission is, “The charges labelled by Dalits that Shankracharyas and Sanskrit scholars are propogating Hindu values is absurd”. Such submission reflects casteist behaviour of the columinst and also increases gap within Hindu fold. On one hand he propogates idea of decreasing gap within Hindu fold and simulatenously his averments tries to creat gap betweeen common Dalits and Dalit leaders. Is it treachery? He also labels Dalits as being sposored by some invisible forces, without putting material evidence of the same on record. This submission of the said columinst can create problems for him, even lodging of Defamation Case. His poor knowledge on the subject compels him to ignore the truth of anti-nationlaists. He must read history and then he will come to know who are the traitors, the Dalits or …….. He labels children of Lalu Yadav as worthless, ignoring many worthless ministers in present central political regiem.
In nutshell it is submitted with great regret that the author of article , ” Dalit Issues, Caste System & Dirty Politics” miserably failed to do justice with the title. Instead he has shown his upper caste mind set and hate for Dalits. Instead of writing an authenticated, thought provoking and moral boosting write up to unite the divided Hindu fold, he has tried to malign the Dalits and their leaders and also putforth certain wrong facts without material evidence. He must read true history of India vis a vis Dalit issues and then write.