NRI activist wants Centre to banish caste system

A Dubai-based Indian lawyer-activist, on a pan-Indian mission to abolish the caste system and who has served notice to the Centre, claimed here Thursday that the government would act on his plea by the end of this calendar year.

NRI activist K.K. Sarachandra Bose, who originally hails from Kerala, has embarked on a 14,000 km 'Bharat Yathra' passing through all Indian state capitals to spread the message of eradicating poverty, following a 13-month mandatory notice served by him on the Centre to banish the system by or before Dec 31, 2014.

"You will see the effect of this notice within this year... the government will do it. I have been researching the topic for 40 years and caste system is nothing but slavery," Bose told reporters here.

The 62-year-old began his self-sponsored tour June 9 from Thiruvananthpuram and is scheduled to conclude the trip in Delhi July 18. He is accompanied by a team of 34 volunteers.

So far he has travelled through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra, among others.

"I meet common people everywhere and hand out copies of my book 'Caste Away! India, Hinduism and Untouchability' which is infact the notice served by me on the government," he said, adding that he doesn't need politicians at the moment but would need them later.

Bose said during his visits he doesn't call upon the heads of the states -- who have all received a copy of his notice.

"Since I served the notice, unless they come to me I don't visit. The prime minister's office is aware of my social activism and unless they call me I will not approach," he asserted.