Page 2 - Dalits

No Dalit, Adivasi, or OBC in Miss India list, I checked, says Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he checked the list of former Miss India but found no Dalit, tribal, or OBC among the winners. Gandhi made the remark during a 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan' here, while pressing for a nationwide "caste census". The former Congress chief said that without the participation of "90 per cent" of its people, the country cannot operate. "I have checked the list of Miss India, which did not have any Dalit, Adivasi (tribal) or OBC women. Some will talk about cricket or Bollywood. No one will show the cobbler or plumber. Even top anchors in the media are not from the 90 per cent," he said. "They will say Modiji embraced someone and we have become superpower. How have we become superpower when 90 per cent people has no participation?" he asked, attacking the mainstream media of the country. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP might say that he was trying to divide the country with his demand of a caste census. "We want

Other side of the caste debate: When Dalits turn against their own

Recent SC order allowed states to implement sub-classification of reservations

Cauldron of Dalit politics boiling after Supreme Court's judgment

The ruling on sub-classification within SCs and STs has sparked sharp reactions from several political parties and activists alike

Award Bharat Ratna to Kanshi Ram or stop misleading Dalits: Mayawati to BJP

Mayawati on Friday hit out at the BJP over a party MP seeking the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram, saying the saffron party, which is in power at the Centre, should either award the highest civilian honour to the BSP founder or stop "misleading" Dalits. BJP MP from Shahjahanpur, Arun Kumar Sagar, on Thursday demanded in the Lok Sabha that Kanshi Ram be conferred with the Bharat Ratna. Hailing Kanshi Ram as a 'Bahujan Nayak', Sagar said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder was an ace politician and a social reformer who dedicated his entire life to the welfare of the downtrodden. BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, in a post in Hindi on X, said if the BJP-led central government confers the Bharat Ratna on Kanshi Ram, the party would welcome it wholeheartedly. "Instead of a Dalit MP of BJP from UP demanding Bharat Ratna for BSP founder Shri Kanshi Ram ji, (the BJP) should immediately get it done as its government is in power at the centre and the BSP will welcome

PM Modi has ended rule of law, says Rahul on Dalit woman's death in MP

Hitting out at the BJP over the death of a slain Dalit youth's sister in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ended the rule of law and asserted that "we will create a system where even the weakest person will be able to raise his voice strongly against oppression". The woman, who had lodged a case last August claiming her brother, a Dalit, was beaten to death by some persons pressuring her for a compromise in a harassment case, died on Sunday after she fell from an ambulance carrying her uncle's body in Sagar. Notably, her uncle Rajendra Ahirwar was beaten to death on Saturday night by some persons over an old enmity, police sources said. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi has ended the 'rule of law'. My heart is filled with pain and anger just thinking about what the BJP leaders have done to this Dalit family in Madhya Pradesh." It is a matter of shame that under the BJP rule, the governmen

LS polls: Dalit colonies of western UP want basic necessities, dignity

In the rural expanse of western Uttar Pradesh's Hathras and Firozabad, where the pastoral beauty belies deep-seated challenges, those living in Dalit colonies want basic necessities and dignity and freedom from filth and sewage. Several villages this PTI reporter visited had a Dalit colony separately and these villages had debilitating homes and sanitation issues. In these villages, the realities of sanitation and poverty shape the narratives of women like Aarti Devi and Maya, whose voices echo the aspirations and frustrations of their communities. In Hathras's Pilakhana, the air is heavy with the stench of stagnant water that surrounds modest homes, many of which are precariously perched in disrepair. For Aarti Devi, a Dalit woman whose days are consumed by cleaning the households of so-called upper caste people, her own living conditions are in stark contrast with the cleanliness she strives to achieve elsewhere. "Our houses are swallowed by filth and sewage. We clean the homes

Modi govt wants country without dalits, backward communities: WB CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to marginalise the SCs, STs, and OBCs. Speaking at a rally in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra at Tehatta in Nadia district, Banerjee criticised the BJP government's 'falsehoods' about citizenship benefits for marginalised communities, warning that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) could jeopardise the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is lying about the benefits of UCC that it will help everybody. Instead, if UCC is implemented, it will put at stake the existence of SCs, STs and OBCs. BJP will destroy the constitution. But rest assured, we will not let it happen," Banerjee said. The TMC chief said for the past 10 years, the BJP has been spreading lies about Matuas and other backward castes getting citizenship through the CAA, which is a ploy to take away one's already existing bona fide citizenship rights and deport them to concentration camps. The ..

Modi is 'Ambassador' of small farmers and small entrepreneurs: PM

"When I nudge people to buy Khadi and wear Khadi, then I connect the women, Dalits and backwards communities associated with Khadi to the markets," Modi noted

Dalits, OBCs, tribals biggest beneficiaries of pro-poor schemes: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that Dalits, OBCs and tribals are the biggest beneficiaries of his government's pro-poor schemes, asserting that its greatest achievement in the past ten years is to pull 25 crore people out of poverty. Speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones of 1.3 lakh houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY), via video conference, Modi said that for any poor person having his own house is a guarantee of his better future. See the figure of 1.3 lakh houses. Even when I attended a national-level programme for giving houses under PMAY, I did not see such a huge figure. I congratulate the Gujarat government. For any poor person, having his own house is a guarantee of his better future, Modi said. The biggest beneficiaries of our government's pro-poor scheme are Dalits, OBCs (other backward castes) and tribals, Modi said, responding to the opposition's allegations that his government is ignoring SCs, STs and OBCs. Modi said

Tribals, Dalits will be eligible for pension on reaching 50 years: CM Soren

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday announced that tribals and Dalits in the state will be eligible for pension benefits on reaching the age of 50 years. Soren made the announcement while addressing a function on Ranchi's Morabadi ground organised to mark the completion of four years of the JMM-led government in the state. "The government has decided to provide pension benefits to tribals and Dalits on reaching the age of 50 years. The death rate among them is high and they do not get jobs after 60 years," he reasoned. Soren claimed that only 16 lakh people had received pension benefits in the 20 years after the formation of Jharkhand in 2000 but his government has provided pension to 36 lakh people, mostly those aged above 60 years. "In four years of our government, we have given pension benefits to 36 lakh people above 60 years of age, widows above 18 years of age and also physically challenged persons..." he said. Soren asserted that his government was relentlessly

Dalit leader Gaddam Prasad Kumar set to be Telangana Assembly speaker

The Congress has decided to make a Dalit leader the speaker of the Telangana Assembly to reiterate its commitment to the empowerment of the weaker sections of the state

At press meet, Rahul asks reporters to raise hands if they are Dalit, OBC

Rahul Gandhi added that this is why "Congress is asking what the share of Dalits, tribals, and other backward classes (OBCs) is in the country's assets, institutions, and population"

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad meets T'gana CM to discuss dalit issues

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad called on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and discussed issues related to Dalits, including attacks on the community. Hailing the programmes, including the flagship financial assistance 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme, which have been implemented in Telangana for the uplifitment of the Dalits, Azad said they have become a role model for the country, an official release said on Friday. Azad and Rao discussed Dalit issues, division of people in the name of caste, social discrimination and attacks on Dalit communities in the country, it said. The Bhim Army chief expressed hope that the development activities of Dalits in Telangana will pave the way for solving the problems of the community in the country in future. Azad praised the installation of the 125 feet statue of B R Ambedkar in Hyderabad by the BRS government and naming the new Telangana Secretariat complex after Ambedkar, it added. He invited the CM to be the chief guest at the Bhim Arm

26 Oppn parties demand caste census, vow to fight crimes against minorities

A group of 26 opposition parties on Tuesday demanded the implementation of the caste census while asserting that they have come together to defeat the "hatred and violence being manufactured against minorities" as well as "rising crimes against women, Dalits, tribals and Kashmiri Pandits". The opposition alliance that will take on the ruling NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and an 11-member committee will be set up for coordination, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced after a meeting of the parties here. In their 'Samuhik Sankalp (joint resolution)' released after the meeting, the parties expressed their steadfast resolve to safeguard the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution. "The character of our republic is being severely assaulted in a systematic manner by the BJP. We are at a most crucial juncture in our nation's history. The foundational pillars of the Indian Constitution secular .

AP govt approves building 47,000 houses for poor, graveyards for Dalits

The Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Wednesday announced decisions including conferring full rights to assigned land-owners and sanction for construction of graveyards for dalits in 1,966 villages among others. The state Cabinet meet presided over by Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy sanctioned full rights on assigned lands (lands given to SCs) amounting to 63,192 acres for 66,111 persons. "In case of death of original beneficiaries, their legal heirs would get the full rights," the state government said in a press note shared on Wednesday. The Cabinet also approved the welfare calendar for July, including laying the foundation for 47,000 houses for the poor in 1,366 acres of land in the R5 zone of Capital Region Development Authority area (CRDA). Similarly, the Cabinet has permitted constructing burial grounds for scheduled castes in 1,966 villages. Talking to reporters, Information and Public Relations Minister Chelluboyina Srinivasa Krishna said 1,051 acres of land had been sancti

Anti-national powers against good education sent Sisodia to jail: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said some "anti-national" people in the country sent Manish Sisodia to jail because they do not want quality education for Dalit and underprivileged children. Kejriwal also said he holds B R Ambedkar in higher regard than Mahatma Gandhi because of his unshakable resolve in the face of adversities in pursuit of education. Addressing an event to mark Ambedkar Jayanti here, Kejriwal said Ambedkar dreamt of quality education for all in government schools, but "these people ruined government schools in the last 75 years and private schools mushroomed in the country". "God sent a man named Manish Sisodia to correct this wrong. He would go on a round of Delhi schools starting at 6 am. He turned things around within five years. We can say Amdekar's dream is being realized in Delhi. "But some anti-national powers don't want the country to progress. Who are these people who do not want Dalit students to get good education. All these people toget

Chirag Paswan raises issue of 'rising' crimes against Dalits in Bihar in LS

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Friday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of alleged rise in crimes, especially against Dalits, in Bihar and said Parliament can't be mum when the state government is maintaining "silence". The Jamui MP noted that a woman and her five-year-old daughter were burnt alive in Arwal after their house was set ablaze by people accused by the mother of trying to sexually assault her. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Paswan said the culprits were angry with her, a member of the Paswan community, for complaining to police and alleged that the local administration was hand in glove with them. He said a Paswan woman was gang-raped and killed in Begusarai as he hit out at the state government for its "silence". While acknowledging that law and order is a state subject, he said the Centre should act on its own and order a CBI probe as the people of Bihar are angry at the JD(U)-RJD-Congress government's alleged lack of action. The Lok Sabh

Ambedkar in his labyrinth

In Ambedkar: A Life, a comparatively short biography of the leader, Shashi Tharoor nails the pretentious nature of Ambedkar's appropriation by many

Rahul says only Cong can protect Constitution, attacks Centre on note-ban

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) keeps attacking the Constitution everyday as it does not want to accept that Dalits, tribals and the poor should get rights, and hit out at Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar for "working" for the British. Gandhi, whose Bharat Jodo Yatra entered its 69th day and reached Washim district in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra from Hingoli on Tuesday, said it is only the Congress that can protect the Constitution, give education to tribals and safeguard their land and rights. The Lok Sabha MP from Kerala addressed two rallies during the day and stepped up his attack on the BJP over a range of issues - from the Constitution, to 2016 note-ban, to Goods and Service Tax (GST) to farm loans. The first public meeting, addressed by him in the afternoon, was organised on the occasion of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda's birth anniversary, which is also celebrated as the Janjatiya Gaurav Divas or Tribal Pride Day. T

Congress making Dalits 'scapegoats': Mayawati after Kharge's election

A day after Mallikarjun Kharge was elected the Congress president, BSP chief Mayawati on Thursday accused the 137-year-old party of remembering Dalits only in its bad times and making them "scapegoats". Kharge (80), a Dalit leader from Karnataka, trounced his 66-year-old rival Shashi Tharoor in a historic election held four days ago to become the first non-Gandhi to head the Congress in 24 years. In a series of tweets, Mayawati said, "The history of the Congress is a witness that it has always neglected/disdained the messiah of the downtrodden Param Pujya Babasaheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and his society. This party does not remember the safety and honour of Dalits in its good days, but makes them a scapegoat in bad days." "The Congress party remembers mostly non-Dalits in the long run of good days and puts Dalits in front in their bad days as in the current times. Is this not deceit and pseudo politics? People ask, 'Is this the real love of the Congress towards Dalits'?" she said in .