Dalits Media Watch
Gangadhar Yadav, a banking professional, explains, "The TRS says we got Telangana, Congress says 'Amma' (Sonia Gandhi) gave Telangana. People must be told what Telangana has been created for. It is for ameliorating the BCs and SC/STs.''
That is why social justice has become the byword in political circles here.
That is why Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that a Dalit would be the first chief minister of Telangana.
KCR, however, went back on his word and subsequently said people, in fact, wanted him to be the first chief minister.
"I was the vanguard of the movement. I will be the vanguard to reconstruct the state, so why not,'' he asks, almost defiantly.
KCR is a Velama, a member of a forward community that accounts for less than two per cent of the population.
Social activist and writer Kancha Ilaiah reasons that TRS leaders realised that if the issue of social justice is addressed, power will come to them.
"That is the calculation on which TRS and KCR announced that a Dalit will be made the chief minister,'' he says.
Poking fun at KCR's turnaround, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said the Congress would make a Dalit the chief minister.
Political observers say the comment probably created more panic within the Congress as it has been traditionally dominated by the Reddys, another forward caste.
Not to be outdone, Chandrababu Naidu has promised the chief minister's chair to a representative of the Backward Classes that comprise 56 per cent of the population.
Critics accuse Naidu of practicing double standards over the issue.
Political analyst and MLC Nageswar says, "Naidu realises his chips are down in Telangana but he wants to be the chief minister of Seemandhra, so he won't announce a backward class chief minister there".
The Congress realises that Backward Classes account for a numerical majority of up to 56 per cent.
So they have named as PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah, a leader from Backward Classes, Uttam Kumar Reddy as the working president, Dalit leader Damodar Raja Narasimha as the campaign committee chief and minority leader Shabbir Ali as co-chairman of the campaign committee.
The attempt obviously is to put together a rainbow leadership in the state which has something for every caste that matters.
The irony is that all major political parties in Andhra Pradesh have so far been identified with the upper castes. The Congress is identified with the Reddys, the Telugu Desam with the Kammas and the TRS with the Velamas.
The YSR Congress is thought to have taken away the Reddy community's votes from the Congress.
Meanwhile, the chief of the BJP's Telangana unit is a Reddy and the one in Seemandhra is a Kamma.
In fact, in the 58-year-long history of Andhra Pradesh, the chief minister's chair, barring a couple of years, has always been occupied by a member of one of the two dominant castes -- Reddys and Kammas -- which jointly account for hardly 10 per cent of the population.
Former chief secretary K Madhav Rao believes that this is a case of gross historical injustice.
"Their population is less than 10 per cent. So, 90 per cent of the people should not become the chief minister? This has to change, not on somebody's promise or charity, but as a system, to exclude any forward caste who has had a turn on the chief minister's chair," he says.
Renowned poet and activist Balladeer Gadar says all political parties are using the social justice card to play vote-bank politics.
"If a Dalit is made the chief minister by a Reddy party, he will not be a representative of the Dalit community but a 'chamcha' (sycophant) of the Reddy. Or a Kamma or Velama. One says 'make a Dalit the chief minister', another says 'we will make'. If they are 'making' and he is 'becoming', he is not a real representative.''
The cynicism expressed by Gadar is replaced by optimism among individuals from Backward Classes who hope to benefit from the sudden focus on their communities.
Dr Muralidhar Yadav, a professor at an engineering college and a member of one of the most backward class communities, says for the Telugu Desam Party, it is the need of the hour and for the Backward Classes, this is a social ladder.
"This society is meant for upper castes. They are ruling. Everything is in their hands: the administration, the politics. We are only workers, even in the political class,'' he says.
Dr Yadav is convinced that political power is the key to upward mobility.
"If I want to put up an industry, I need political force. I want better placement as IPS/IAS, we need political force. For everything, you need political force.''
The Backward Classes comprise a numerical majority, but it is not a homogenous group as it encompasses at least 130 different communities. With growing political awareness, there is increased realisation about being marginalised in the mainstream.
Gujja Krishna, president of the State Praja Sangam, points out that though Backward Classes comprise 56 per cent of population, their representation in several spheres is poor.
"In the state legislature, we don't have more than 15 per cent representation. As employees of the state government, we don't have more than seven per cent representation. There is no Backward Classes department among the 70 central departments. Of the 28 governors, none is from the Backward Classes. Of the 25 Supreme Court judges, none is from the Backward Classes. So Backward Classes are suppressed nationwide.''
R Krishnaiah, who has lead a movement of the Backward Classes for over 40 years in the state, believes that getting the chief minister's chair will be the answer to several ills, if not all.
"Backward classes are saying we don't want buffaloes, we don't want subsidies, we want power, meaning the chief minister's chair. Since independence, no political party gave anything to the Backward Classes. When the chief minister is a member of the backward Classes, the due share in education, jobs and other fields will be provided. Every activity will be in favor of the Backward Classes," he says.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi says that the new state has provided a lot of opportunity for several backward communities to assert their political identity. But his biggest fear is that a political vacuum will turn into a fertile ground for radical Hindutva forces.
So Mr Owaisi wants to plan and consolidate by bringing together Dalits and Muslims.
His party, which has traditionally fielded only Muslim candidates and held sway only in Hyderabad, will field both a Dalit and an OBC in the Lok Sabha elections. It will make an electoral foray into the districts as well.
"In a separate Telangana, 'doralu' or 'peddalu' (zamindari domination by upper classes) kind of politics won't survive. That is why Muslims and Christians feel they should come together. In the long run, we have to ensure that Telangana does not become a cauldron of communalism," he says.
News Updates 06.04.14
Dalit college student accuses dept head of casteist slur- Odisha Sun Times
‘Caste-based exploitation still rampant’- The Hindu
India Matters: A 'caste-ing' couch in Andhra Pradesh- NDTV
Odisha Sun Times
Dalit college student accuses dept head of casteist slur
Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Apr 6:
A 21-year-old student of Samanta Chandra Sekhar (SCS) Autonomous College, Puri on Saturday submitted a petition to the Chief Secretary of Odisha, the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education department and the Secretary of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) department accusing caste based discrimination against his department head.
The victim Dinesh Kumar Sethi of Kalikadevisahi of Puri, who has been pursuing his final graduation degree in the college, had brought allegation against the department head for harassing him since his admission into the department.
“She used to debar me from all facilities in the department like getting seminar books, library books, drinking water, besides frequently making casteist remarks against me. She also threatened that she will ensure I fail in the exams,” Sethi said.
“I cant understand what I have done to deserve this. Is it a crime for a person from scheduled caste to aspire to higher education,” said the anguished student.
“I fought for my right and informed the four principals who had come during these years but failed to get justice from any of them. Later, I filed an FIR at Puri Town police station against the department head onFebruary 2 this year. Under pressure, the college management committee put up an investigation report before the district administration which was found to be false- through an RTI query that proved the report submitted was not examined properly,” the harassed student said.
“Yesterday, once again I submitted a petition to district Collector and today to the Chief Secretary of Odisha, Principal Secretary of Higher Education and Secretary of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Development to make a thorough investigation and demanded stringent action against the department head for her discriminatory mindset towards castes,” Dinesh added.
Quoting from the secretary’s reply, Dinesh said they will direct the college authority soon to make a thorough investigation into the matter.
The Hindu
‘Caste-based exploitation still rampant’
Professor questions inclusiveness of Dalits in Hindu society
Academician and thinker K.R. Durgadas has raked up the question of whether the people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes “had the honour” of being truly considered as “Hindu” by the Hindu society of the country.
Delivering a lecture at a function organised to mark the 107th birth anniversary of social reformer Babu Jagjivan Ram here on Friday, the professor of Karnatak University, Dharwad said that though the government issued caste certificates to these Dalits as belonging to the Hindu religion, discrimination and caste-based exploitation remained rampant.
The practice of untouchability was still in vogue, particularly in rural India, he said.
Untouchability
It was unfortunate that while all the political parties spoke aloud on secular values and social justice, none of them had made even an oblique reference to the practice of untouchability. It was because of untouchability and caste-based discrimination that Babu Jagjivan Ram, who belonged to the cobbler community, was denied the office of President of India.
However, Mr. Ram led green revolution and brought in several reforms towards emancipation and liberation of the Dalits and the downtrodden.
Caste has been used by the elite as a tool to exploit and rule, without realising that the nation could not achieve real progress and grow stronger through disintegration of citizens on the basis of caste and religion, Prof. Durgadas said.
He noted that of late, government-sponsored anniversaries of national heroes, particularly of those belonging to Dalit communities, had become a mere ritual — which is evident from the meagre attendance, consisting mainly of officials and staff working in various government departments. However, this was not the case with other events such as Basaveshwar Jayanthi because of community support, he said.
Way to liberation
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Deepa Cholan said anniversaries of legends and national heroes afforded a fresh occasion to remember their values and contributions.
She called upon the audience to take home the message that the exploited sections of society could liberate themselves through education and live with dignity and self-respect in society.
Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer N. Jayaram said caste and money played major roles in Indian elections. But it was high time people rise above all caste and religious considerations and negate other influences while casting their valuable vote to elect good candidates.
NDTV
India Matters: A 'caste-ing' couch in Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad: Something that has not happened even once in nearly six decades is happening now in Andhra Pradesh.
No, not just the bifurcation of the state, but a virtual inversion of the traditional caste pyramid during election time.
The reasons are compelling because nothing is more important than numbers during election time. In Telangana, 90 per cent of the electorate comprises Backward Classes (BC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and minorities in the new state. As opposed to this, in Seemandhra, the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, 30 per cent of the electorate belongs to the forward caste.
The sheer numbers have forced political parties to promise a drastic change in the political power matrix to bring the backward communities at least two steps forward. The pressure on the political parties is huge, as though people expect a social revolution to be delivered by the political leadership.
No, not just the bifurcation of the state, but a virtual inversion of the traditional caste pyramid during election time.
The reasons are compelling because nothing is more important than numbers during election time. In Telangana, 90 per cent of the electorate comprises Backward Classes (BC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and minorities in the new state. As opposed to this, in Seemandhra, the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh, 30 per cent of the electorate belongs to the forward caste.
The sheer numbers have forced political parties to promise a drastic change in the political power matrix to bring the backward communities at least two steps forward. The pressure on the political parties is huge, as though people expect a social revolution to be delivered by the political leadership.
Gangadhar Yadav, a banking professional, explains, "The TRS says we got Telangana, Congress says 'Amma' (Sonia Gandhi) gave Telangana. People must be told what Telangana has been created for. It is for ameliorating the BCs and SC/STs.''
That is why social justice has become the byword in political circles here.
That is why Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) chief K Chandrasekhar Rao announced that a Dalit would be the first chief minister of Telangana.
KCR, however, went back on his word and subsequently said people, in fact, wanted him to be the first chief minister.
"I was the vanguard of the movement. I will be the vanguard to reconstruct the state, so why not,'' he asks, almost defiantly.
KCR is a Velama, a member of a forward community that accounts for less than two per cent of the population.
Social activist and writer Kancha Ilaiah reasons that TRS leaders realised that if the issue of social justice is addressed, power will come to them.
"That is the calculation on which TRS and KCR announced that a Dalit will be made the chief minister,'' he says.
Poking fun at KCR's turnaround, Union minister Jairam Ramesh said the Congress would make a Dalit the chief minister.
Political observers say the comment probably created more panic within the Congress as it has been traditionally dominated by the Reddys, another forward caste.
Not to be outdone, Chandrababu Naidu has promised the chief minister's chair to a representative of the Backward Classes that comprise 56 per cent of the population.
Critics accuse Naidu of practicing double standards over the issue.
Political analyst and MLC Nageswar says, "Naidu realises his chips are down in Telangana but he wants to be the chief minister of Seemandhra, so he won't announce a backward class chief minister there".
The Congress realises that Backward Classes account for a numerical majority of up to 56 per cent.
So they have named as PCC president Ponnala Laxmaiah, a leader from Backward Classes, Uttam Kumar Reddy as the working president, Dalit leader Damodar Raja Narasimha as the campaign committee chief and minority leader Shabbir Ali as co-chairman of the campaign committee.
The attempt obviously is to put together a rainbow leadership in the state which has something for every caste that matters.
The irony is that all major political parties in Andhra Pradesh have so far been identified with the upper castes. The Congress is identified with the Reddys, the Telugu Desam with the Kammas and the TRS with the Velamas.
The YSR Congress is thought to have taken away the Reddy community's votes from the Congress.
Meanwhile, the chief of the BJP's Telangana unit is a Reddy and the one in Seemandhra is a Kamma.
In fact, in the 58-year-long history of Andhra Pradesh, the chief minister's chair, barring a couple of years, has always been occupied by a member of one of the two dominant castes -- Reddys and Kammas -- which jointly account for hardly 10 per cent of the population.
Former chief secretary K Madhav Rao believes that this is a case of gross historical injustice.
"Their population is less than 10 per cent. So, 90 per cent of the people should not become the chief minister? This has to change, not on somebody's promise or charity, but as a system, to exclude any forward caste who has had a turn on the chief minister's chair," he says.
Renowned poet and activist Balladeer Gadar says all political parties are using the social justice card to play vote-bank politics.
"If a Dalit is made the chief minister by a Reddy party, he will not be a representative of the Dalit community but a 'chamcha' (sycophant) of the Reddy. Or a Kamma or Velama. One says 'make a Dalit the chief minister', another says 'we will make'. If they are 'making' and he is 'becoming', he is not a real representative.''
The cynicism expressed by Gadar is replaced by optimism among individuals from Backward Classes who hope to benefit from the sudden focus on their communities.
Dr Muralidhar Yadav, a professor at an engineering college and a member of one of the most backward class communities, says for the Telugu Desam Party, it is the need of the hour and for the Backward Classes, this is a social ladder.
"This society is meant for upper castes. They are ruling. Everything is in their hands: the administration, the politics. We are only workers, even in the political class,'' he says.
Dr Yadav is convinced that political power is the key to upward mobility.
"If I want to put up an industry, I need political force. I want better placement as IPS/IAS, we need political force. For everything, you need political force.''
The Backward Classes comprise a numerical majority, but it is not a homogenous group as it encompasses at least 130 different communities. With growing political awareness, there is increased realisation about being marginalised in the mainstream.
Gujja Krishna, president of the State Praja Sangam, points out that though Backward Classes comprise 56 per cent of population, their representation in several spheres is poor.
"In the state legislature, we don't have more than 15 per cent representation. As employees of the state government, we don't have more than seven per cent representation. There is no Backward Classes department among the 70 central departments. Of the 28 governors, none is from the Backward Classes. Of the 25 Supreme Court judges, none is from the Backward Classes. So Backward Classes are suppressed nationwide.''
R Krishnaiah, who has lead a movement of the Backward Classes for over 40 years in the state, believes that getting the chief minister's chair will be the answer to several ills, if not all.
"Backward classes are saying we don't want buffaloes, we don't want subsidies, we want power, meaning the chief minister's chair. Since independence, no political party gave anything to the Backward Classes. When the chief minister is a member of the backward Classes, the due share in education, jobs and other fields will be provided. Every activity will be in favor of the Backward Classes," he says.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi says that the new state has provided a lot of opportunity for several backward communities to assert their political identity. But his biggest fear is that a political vacuum will turn into a fertile ground for radical Hindutva forces.
So Mr Owaisi wants to plan and consolidate by bringing together Dalits and Muslims.
His party, which has traditionally fielded only Muslim candidates and held sway only in Hyderabad, will field both a Dalit and an OBC in the Lok Sabha elections. It will make an electoral foray into the districts as well.
"In a separate Telangana, 'doralu' or 'peddalu' (zamindari domination by upper classes) kind of politics won't survive. That is why Muslims and Christians feel they should come together. In the long run, we have to ensure that Telangana does not become a cauldron of communalism," he says.
News Monitor by Girish Pant
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
Pl visit on FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/
..............................
Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of “Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC”)
Pl visit on FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/
..............................
Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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