Ravinder Jalali
So many suicides take place in our country but it does not matter to any body. But when a suicide takes place in India and the victim is Dalit, it becomes a burning issue and the entire political parties jump into the fray to grind their own axe.
The suicide of a Dalit student Rohit Vermula of University of Hyderabad has brought into sharp focus at all India level the central issue of social, caste based politics of India. It became a centre of debate and discussion at all forms of media whether print or electronic. It was also used as a political tool by some vested interest to create a wedge between Dalits and the other castes of the Hindu society. It has also highlighted the antagonistic contradiction between the so called assertive Dalit social movements and Hindu organisations. But who are the Dalits? Who are the people leading these Dalit movements? On whose behalf they are carrying the agitation? There are so many suicides taking place in our country but why so much unnecessary hue and cry for this Dalit suicide.
Since the Dalit issue is only a tool that is being used by some vested interests in league with those who are bent upon to destabilise and disintegrate our nation and harm our social fabric, it is necessary to go deeper into the issue and exposé those who are working overnight to create a wide between the different levels of society. What I perceive that there may be some anti-national agencies behind these movements’ who does not want to see India emerging as a major power in the world.
From 1950, India enacted and implemented laws and social initiatives to improve Dalits’ socioeconomic conditions. Many social organisations have promoted better conditions for Dalits through education, health and employment. In 2001, the quality of life of the Dalit population in India was statistically similar to that of the overall Indian population, on metrics such as access to health care, life expectancy, education attainability, and access to drinking water and housing. Our politics is largely governed by caste vote banks. When the time comes for selecting candidates for the elections a study is made of the numerical caste distribution in a constituency, because voters in most areas vote on caste basis. Fake caste certificates have become rampant. Marriages are still largely performed within one’s caste. Even Muslims, Christians and Sikhs often have castes, although their religions preach equality. It seems that the reserved category has now become privileged category.
The caste system is being artificially propped up socially by some vested interests like vote bank politics. To my mind the caste system in India would have come to an end but it is the selfish interest of politicians who do not want to get rid off it.
I wonder why these people associate Dalit issue with RSS or BJP. The charge laid by Dalits that the Sankracharyas and Sanskrit scholars are propagating the ‘Hindu Values’ is absurd. The Dalit leaders are misrepresenting the facts. They are quoting certain religious scriptures in support of caste system which is totally baseless. In Hindu social order there is no division of society on the basis of caste. The caste (Jaat) is term associated with the family or blood relation. The caste they are referring is actually in Hindi called as Varna. Rishis Bhrigu and Bhardwaja decided to follow a stable society and wanted to decentralise the powers hence created four Varna’s. There used to be four Varna’s` like Knowledge, Weapons, Wealth and Land. The system was like that no one person can have more than one at a time. There was never caste system in Hindu society on the basis of birth. Veda Vyas was a born of fisherwoman but wrote Mahabharata. Valimiki was an untouchable (Dalit) but wrote Ramayana. Kalidas, a hunter was born in hunter’s family but composed famous poetry. Vishwamitra, Rishi of Rishis, to whom the gods used to bow, was not a Brahmin at all. His parents were Khatri. Ravana was a Brahmin. All are revered and honoured by all Hindus including Brahmins so it is wrong to say that the caste system prevailed at all times. If it would have been like that then no body would have been reading these famous epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana or writings of Kalidasa. Then we would have been worshipping Ravana but we are burning the effigies of Ravana, which clearly indicates that it is the Karma or Action that makes a person great and not his birth.
Dalit leaders have nothing in common with Dalits or oppressed except caste. How long it will take them to really uplift among the downtrodden. If they have to find relationship or get their children married, they will not find these relations among Dalits. Among other castes also there are poorest of poor people. But the fact of the matter is that the people are scared of raising the issues of the other downtrodden because they will be labelled as communal.
The so called leaders of Dalit cause are perhaps playing in the hands of some anti-national elements and the Govt. should investigate against those forces that work behind these organisations and fund these movements. We have already seen many NGOs working in the name of environmental issues etc, receiving funds from abroad and working against the interests of India at the behest of some organisations abroad.
It is deliberate attempt by the caste leaders to keep the pot boiling for their political survival. It is these people who want the caste system to prevail otherwise, just imagine, school going children in schools do not know the caste of each other. Even at social circles, in colleges, universities people don’t know each others caste. Even when the patient goes to a doctor or hospital, the caste or Dalit tag does not come in between. When people travel in trains, planes or on a pilgrimage or tourism, people don’t know each other’s caste. In this way the caste system will vanish of its own or would have vanished long before but these selfish leaders want to keep these issues relevant by not allowing these people to come out of this caste web. Take the example of Lalu how is managing his Parivar (family) at the cost of OBCs. His two children worth nothing got berths in state Cabinet, and now is trying for Rajya Sabha seat for his wife and daughter. Where is the Dalit issue?
The modern and young generations are not interested in these issues and want to walk together rubbing each others shoulders on the path of development. How long the reservation policy will continue? It is benefiting the elite class with in the Dalits and not the real deserving Dalits. The classic example is of Owaisi of communal organisation AIMIM who comes from Hyderabad to take advantage of the Dalit cause. The Owaisi has nothing for Dalits but wants to have a larger plate form for his anti national and anti-Hindu agenda.
