Subject:- (i)- The Buddhism recommended for Dalits by Dr. Ambedkar and followed by some Dalits, has not solved the problem also because they didn’t give-up Dalit status for the greed of reservation (ii)- Dalit thinkers & sympathizers should immediately call a seminar to evaluate the relationship of Dalits with Hinduism & Buddhism and the need of new religions and new political parties (under patronage of religions followed by Dalits).
-Four members of a Scheduled Caste (so-called ‘Dalits’) family including a minor girl (allegedly also gang-raped) have been killed by a neighboring ‘upper’ caste in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj as reported on Thursday at https://thewire.in/caste/up-four-of-family-killed-minor-gang-raped-kin-points-finger-at-upper-caste-neighbours . This is not the first or only such case; many have been earlier (even in the U.P.) and in other States of India and there seems to be no sign of stopping these most despicable incidents.
The leaders of opposition political parties have started visiting these victim’s house and various Dalit thinkers and sympathizers have started coming in media to decry & condemn this unfortunate incident including by lamenting that there is no political party which is seriously addressing the issue of atrocities on Dalits (the oppressed and the so-called lowest caste of Hindu order) by so-called upper castes of the Hindu order. But this matter is not so simple as people are thinking because it will require the religions (which are being practiced by Dalits) also to be taken into consideration if an effective solution is to be achieved against such barbaric & uncivilized behavior of upper castes against Dalits of Hindu order, as mentioned below:-
(1)- Even in a secular country religion is custodian of the values of society hence the religion being followed by Dalits (mainly Hinduism and Buddhism) are not discharging their responsibility towards Dalits in a way which will help them in fighting such gross injustice to them.
(2)- Hinduism & Buddhism have failed in their said duty towards Dalits for the simple reason that they have not patronized a political party (or parties) which will specifically protect the interests of Dalits in India [notwithstanding many political parties which are giving merely lip service to the cause of Dalis like BSP, RPI (its various factions) etc].
(3)- Fortunately in the present situation not only an amended or new political party but an amended or a new religion can also be launched in India because for the first time in India a mass-agitation is going on (on the issue of bread and butter) by farmers including by Dharna at Delhi border since November 2020. About two third of India is fully or partly dependent on farm income and farmers were committing suicide for decades in hundreds of thousand due to non-remunerative prices of farm produce hence they are agitating. The relief provided by the Government of India (GoI) through 3 farm laws was not acceptable to agitating farmers hence PM Modi (last week through address to the nation) has promised to repeal these laws but farmers are not withdrawing the agitation rather demanding mainly the ‘Legally Enforceable Minimum Support Price’ (LEMSP) for all the 23 MSP items (even some more may be 40 that is 23 plus some dairy-poultry products, fruits, vegetable etc).
(4)- But these agitating farmers are not as innocent as they are being projected because (i)- The farm sector does not have merely land-owning farmers but farm laborers too who are mainly from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of India, the poorest of the poor and about these no body is bothered (ii)- Small land holdings are denying the benefit of labor laws to farm laborers (iii)- MSP can’t be given even to these 23 items because production of many items is much more than what India is consuming or can consume (iv)- Solution of farm sector can easily be solved if GoI recovers Rs 1,000 Lakh Crore (and increasing), from about one million fake farmers (as mentioned at http://www.newsnation.in/
(5)- The GoI can easily solve the problems of farm sector by using said huge State capital for building infrastructure (like outlets, mandis, godowns, cold storages, transport facilities etc) for procuring (only to the extent India consumes) these 40 LEMSP items and then distributing these through ‘Comprehensive Public Distribution System’ (CPDS). Hence farm laborers (through political parties sponsored by Dalits) should demand (i)- The large land holdings (which will make possible the labor laws to farm laborers) and also (ii)- The recovery of said Rs 1,00 Trillion huge State-capital which can be used in farm and other sectors of economy which is bound to bring prosperity for the poorest sections of India, namely the Dalits.
(6)- One crucial issue will have to be addressed by Dalits. The Dalits should know that in ‘Rajtantra’ (monarchies) the State manages the people whereas in ‘Prajatantra’ (democracy) the people manage the State hence the moral of the people has to be higher than of the State in any democracy. There is nothing wrong with reservation in government services if any group of people in India believes that it can’t get proportional & just representation in government services on MERIT. But these reservations should not be with the demoralizing tag of Dalits (SC, ST) and backwards as it demoralizes the beneficiaries and demoralized people can neither run democracy nor can get justice from democratic State.
(7)- Hence Dalits will have to give up reservation with the existing demoralizing tag. This may lead to a situation where Indian State will have to give reservation to Muslims too (who will demand reservation for the same reason) but then in the interest of genuine secularism Dalits should not mind it rather should support it because Dalits, Muslims and other secularist Indians form over half of India’s population which will be enough for their alliance to come in power at Centre and in most of the States.
(8)- Many Dalit political parties (including BSP led by Mayawati) tried to forge alliance of Dalits & Muslims but failed due to simple reason that BSP didn’t support Muslims on genuine secularism which Muslims are afraid to enforce in India also due to the reason that genuine secularism will lead to mini-SAARC of 1.9 billion people (of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan which doesn’t accept Durand line) which has about 700 million Muslims and which will bring to an end to (hence opposed by) communalism of Hindutva forces as well of Islamic fundamentalists in mini-SAARC.
(9)- For genuine secularism the political parties sponsored by Dalits will have to support (who are afraid to do it on their own) the Indian Muslims if they file the following petitions / writ in Supreme Court of India (SCI) :- (i)- For complete justice under Article 142 of the Constitution for reviewing the final judgement in Ayodhya dispute and for legally expected restoration of Status-quo-ante of Babri Masjid (which was demolished in 1992 in the presence of the Observer of SCI) before any final judgment in Ayodhya title suit (because otherwise it shall be lowering the authority of court which is criminal contempt even on the part of SCI under section 2 ( c) (i) read with section 16 of Contempt of Court Act). (ii)- Under Article 13 & 14 of the Constitution for quashing of discriminatory (especially against Muslims) all Reservation laws which, in the name of backward castes, is giving reservations to also those castes of Hindus which even recently ruled in India (iii)- Under Article 13 & 14 of the Constitution for abolishing (because discriminatory against Muslims etc and favoring Hinduism in a secular India) all the laws related to cow protection, beef eating etc which are causing lynching of Muslims and even of Dalits in India (iv)- Repeal of all the laws which are against right to freedom of religion and obstructs conversion by giving absurd excuse of coercion, allurement, love-Jihad etc (v)- Plebiscite in united J&K as mandated by 1947 Instrument of Accession (IoA) of J&K to India along with efforts for Plebiscite in Balochistan (who’s IoA was taken in 1948 by Pakistan under military pressure despite contrary resolution by Parliament / Jirga of Balochistan) (vi)- Dual citizenship for about 160 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims and their descendants who were illegally & forcefully displaced during partition.
(10)- At the same time if Dalits think that their problem will be solved merely by bringing in existence some political parties based on said genuine secularism & egalitarianism then they will be living in a make believe world. Unless Dalits follow religions (either by an amended & improved version of their existing religions, mainly Hinduism & Buddhism) or a new religion which will patronize such genuinely secular & egalitarian political parties – justice will remain elusive to the Dalits of India.
Therefore in the interest of achieving long eluded peace, prosperity and justice without any any further delay for the Dalits, the Dalit thinkers & sympathizers should immediately arrange a seminar in India to (as mentioned above) evaluate the relationship of Dalits with Hinduism & Buddhism and the need of new religions and new political parties (under the patronage of religions followed by Dalits).
