Dalit Agenda: A Call to Address Real Issues Beyond Tokenism

Mumbai- As the Lok Sabha elections for 2024 approach, political parties in the country are vying to woo the Dalit community. The Samajwadi Party, known for its anti-Dalit stance, has launched the PDA (Pichda Dalit Adivasi) campaign to reach out to Dalits. Meanwhile, states in the south are courting the Dalit community by installing Ambedkar statues. Telangana recently inaugurated a 175-foot tall statue of Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, while the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh unveiled a 206-feet statue on January 19th.

However, some Dalit activists believe that these gestures are mere tokenism and do not improve the situation for the community at the grassroots level. In light of this, AIISA (All India Independent Scheduled Caste Association) held its first conference in Mumbai. The conference was attended by academicians and activists from across the country, including J.V. Pawar, a veteran of the Dalit Movement, and Dr. Sumeet Mhaskar.

The day-long Dalit Agenda conference was held on February 10. The Mooknayak spoke to Dr. Rahul Sonpimple, the founder of AIISA. He expressed dissatisfaction with the political leaders from the Dalit community, stating that they do not raise the community's issues but instead focus on installing Ambedkar statues. He emphasized the need for demands to come from the community itself, rather than being dictated by political leaders. Sonpimple also announced that their organization would soon launch a pad yatra to raise awareness about these issues.

"Can India truly be called a democratic nation after more than seventy years of independence?" questioned Sonpimple. " When we examine the socio-economic situation of downtrodden communities, it becomes challenging for any sensible person to support the popular statement and over-romanticized idea that India is the largest democracy in the world," he said highlighting the challenges faced by marginalised people. AIISA, founded by Dr. Rahul Sonpimple, convened its inaugural national delegate conference in Nagpur on October 7.

Rahul expresses disenchantment towards all the political parties, be it Dalit-led political parties or upper-caste-led ones, the opposition parties or the ruling alliance parties.

J.V. Pawar, another speaker at the conference, recalled the atrocities faced by Scheduled Castes in the 1970s and emphasized the need for grassroots activism to address these issues.

The key issues discussed during the conference included increasing Dalit representation in every sector and addressing ongoing atrocities. The demand for reservation in the private sector, a long-standing issue, was also highlighted. The demands for reservation in the private sector reached the studios and columns of the media in 2004 when the UPA formed the government with the help of the communists.

However, not much was done, and the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) Order, 2012, mandated that out of the 25% procurement of government reserved for MSMEs, 4% should be earmarked for enterprises owned by Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.

On the occasion , AIISA released a 17-point agenda, which includes demands such as:

• Land distribution to the SC communities as most of them are landless or have marginal lands

• Demand for separate settlement far away from the dominant castes.

• Reservation policy should be extended to private sector, both in education and employment

• Increase allocation to direct benefit schemes and National Overseas scheme.

• Schemes for the rehabilitation of the women engaged in manual scavenging should be reintroduced.

• Passing of SCP/TSP legislation to ensure a legislative framework for implementation of SC/ST schemes effectively

• Support the Dalit community in building its autonomous educational and economic institutions.

 Other demands raised include filling backlog vacancies, enacting comprehensive laws on reservations, and ensuring transparent admission processes in higher education. Voting on the Dalit Agenda has been advocated by some intellectuals within the Dalit community, calling for voting based on the agenda rather than the caste of the politician. If AIISA succeeds in taking its agenda to the masses, it could bring about significant change in India's political landscape, where Dalit-led political parties are facing challenges from Brahminical forces.

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