Lok
Sabha
Elections
2004
Campaign Booklets
India
Does
not
Shine
for
Dalits
The
NDA
Govt.’s
propaganda
machinery
has
flooded
the
media
with
advertisements
that
India
is
“shining”.
Where
are
the
26
crore
dalits
in
this
‘shining’
India?
The
truth
is
that
like
all
other
deprived
sections
and
working
people,
dalits
do
not
figure
anywhere
in
this
“shining”
India.
They
remain
confined
to
darkness,
not
allowed
to
enter
the
“temple”
of
so-called
developed
India.
Despite
the
claims
of
‘India
Shining’,
it
is
a
shame
that:
z
70
per
cent
dalit
homes
do
not
get
electricity
and
90
per
cent
do
not
have
sanitation
facilities.
z
According
to
govt.
records,
over
20
per
cent
dalit
families
do
not
have
access
to
safe
drinking
water
sources.
The
actual
figure
is
much
higher.
z
Only
one
out
of
3
dalits
is
literate.
z
Every
second
dalit
child
below
4
years
of
age
suffers
from
undernourishment
or
malnutrition.
z
Among
dalits,
infant
mortality
rate
is
one
and
half
times
the
rate
for
the
rest
of
the
population.
Similarly,
mortality
rate
for
dalits
is
also
one
and
half
times
more
than
the
rest
of
the
people.
z
Even
according
to
the
controversial
estimates
made
by
the
Planning
Commission
in
1999-2000,
36.25
per
cent
of
Scheduled
Castes
and
45.86
per
cent
of
Scheduled
Tribes
population
in
rural
areas
survives
below
the
poverty
line.
In
urban
areas,
the
proportions
are
38.47
and
34.75
per
cent
respectively.
[According
to
the
much
more
reliable
estimates
of
1993-94,
every
second
dalit
was
living
below
the
poverty
line.]
z
Untouchability
still
remains
prevalent.
Despite
all
promises
of
adopting
concrete
programmes
for
eradication
of
the
inhuman
practice
of
cleaning
and
carrying
night-soil
as
head
load,
it
has
not
even
been
estimated
as
to
how
many
people
are
required
to
be
freed
from
this
vocation.
z
Every
hour,
on
an
average,
at
least
three
incidents
of
crimes
or
atrocities
against
dalits
take
place.
These
include
2
murders
and
3
cases
of
rape
every
day.
And,
what
about
justice?
Statistics
from
Rajasthan
expose
the
reality.
In
2001,
5919
cases
were
registered
under
the
SC/ST
Atrocities
Eradication
Act,
but
only
290
people
were
actually
punished,
i.e.
about
5%.
In it’s review of various measures taken to evaluate the condition of dalits, the SC/ST Commission found that today, 50 years after Independence, the condition of dalits in rural India and in city slums remains the same.
SC/ST
Commission
(Report presented to the President on 4 Feb 1998)
What
are
the
conditions
of
dalits
living
in
villages?
z
85
per
cent
of
SC/ST
families
live
in
villages.
Of
these,
every
second
person
(49
per
cent)
is
a
landless
agricultural
labourer,
while
every
fourth
person
(25
per
cent)
is
a
small
cultivator.
At
the
end
of
the
eighties,
over
63
per
cent
of
rural
dalit
families
were
dependent
on
daily
wage
labour.
The
economic
reforms
programme,
vigorously
pursued
by
the
BJP-led
NDA
Govt.
has
resulted
in
only
106
days
of
work
being
available
to
agricultural
workers
in
a
year.
z
The
increase
in
wages
for
rural
non-farm
labour
that
occurred
till
the
eighties
due
to
increasing
public
investment,
started
declining
in
the
nineties.
This
is
a
direct
result
of
declining
public
investment
as
dictated
by
the
so-called
economic
reforms.
This
decline
was
all
the
more
precipitous
for
dalits,
and
especially
for
dalit
women
z
The
proportion
of
landless
and
marginal
farmers
among
dalit
households
increased
by
1.23
per
cent
between
1981
and
1991
to
reach
a
massive
86.25
per
cent.
In
the
ensuing
ten
years
since
then,
this
proportion
has
increased
further.
z
After
ensuring
that
land
reform
and
land
ceiling
related
laws
remain
unimplemented,
a
process
for
changing
them
in
favour
of
domestic
and
foreign
business
houses
has
begun.
As
against
the
estimated
3
crore
hectare
surplus
land,
only
75
lakh
ha
was
actually
declared
surplus,
less
than
65
lakh
ha
was
taken
over
and
just
over
52
lakh
ha
was
actually
distributed
(20
per
cent
of
which
was
in
W.Bengal
alone).
The
people
who
have
been
deprived
the
most
are
dalits
and
tribal
families,
as
they
constitute
the
major
proportion
of
the
landless.
z
The
small
peasant,
a
very
high
percentage
of
whom
come
from
Dalit
and
tribal
families,
are
facing
destitution.
Land
reforms
should
be
implemented
with
diligence
and
alacrity
and
the
land
that
thus
becomes
available
should
be
distributed
in
such
a
way
that
50
per
cent
of
it
goes
to
people
from
SC/ST.
On
the
occasion
of
50th
Anniversary
of
Independence
The Govt. is spending about as much on its ‘India Shining’ campaign as it plans to spend every year on schemes for the welfare of Scheduled Castes. In the Tenth Plan, Rs.5786 crores have been allocated for such schemes, i.e. about Rs.1150 crores annually, which is the approximate cost of the ‘India Shining’ campaign.
Conditions
of
dalits
living
in
urban
areas:
z
Even
according
to
the
controversial
estimates
for
1999-2000
being
propagated
by
the
Planning
Commission,
the
number
of
dalit
households
living
below
the
poverty
line
in
urban
areas
is
more
than
those
in
the
rural
areas.
While
36.25
per
cent
of
dalit
households
are
below
the
poverty
line
in
rural
areas,
their
share
is
38.47
per
cent
in
urban
areas.
Undoubtedly,
this
trend
is
not
new.
But
what
is
new
is
that
this
difference
is
increasing.
According
to
the
more
reliable
poverty
estimates
of
1993-94,
this
share
was
48.11
per
cent
for
rural
areas
and
49.48
per
cent
for
urban
areas.
z
The
half-hearted
implementation
of
the
system
of
reservation
for
dalits
and
tribals
has
prevented
its
limited
benefits
from
reaching
the
mass
of
dalits
and
tribals.
This
system
is
in
place,
mainly
for
govt.
employment,
but
even
there
it
has
been
partially
implemented.
The
United
Front
govt.
in
the
mid
nineties
had
launched
a
special
recruitment
drive
to
clear
the
backlog
in
reserved
posts.
But
despite
that,
54.3
per
cent
of
the
backlog
vacancies
in
Central
govt.
could
not
be
filled
up.
The
backlog
of
vacancies
was
45.10
per
cent
in
public
sector
banks
and
88.18
per
cent
in
public
sector
undertakings.
Since
then,
appointments
have
given
way
to
retrenchment.
z
In
the
govt.
itself,
the
reserved
quota
was
never
filled
for
first,
second
and
third
class
employees
whereas
the
number
of
dalits
in
the
fourth
class
segment
overshot
the
quota.
For
instance,
in
1995,
44.34
per
cent
of
all
sanitary
workers
were
dalit,
i.e.
three
times
their
proportion
in
the
population;
among
fourth
class
employees,
their
share
was
21.26
per
cent
which
is
about
1.25
times
their
proportion
in
the
population.
z
With
the
downsizing
of
government
staff
at
both
Central
and
State
level,
and
with
privatisation
of
PSUs,
the
limited
job
opportunities
available
through
reservation
are
disappearing.
No
condition
has
been
placed
on
Public
Sector
units
that
are
being
privatised,
to
continue
the
system
of
reservations.
Total
employment
in
the
public
sector
was
194.19
lakhs
in
1991,
which
decreased
to
191.38
lakhs
by
2001.
In
the
same
period,
employment
in
the
organised
sector
declined
from
281.66
lakhs
to
277.89
lakhs.
Reduced
Opportunities
for
Dalits
and
Tribals:
z
Due
to
increasing
privatisation
the
entry
of
dalit
children
in
higher
education
and
professional
courses
has
become
more
difficult
than
before.
z
Like
other
social
welfare
programmes,
the
expenditure
on
welfare
of
dalits
has
declined
under
BJP-led
NDA
rule.
For
instance,
between
2002-03
and
2003-04,
there
was
a
cut
of
15
per
cent
in
actual
expenditure
on
establishment
of
schools,
boarding
schools,
colleges,
hostels
and
technical
centres
for
dalit
students.
While
budget
allocation
had
been
reduced
by
10
per
cent,
the
actual
expenditure
was
even
lower.
z
The
number
of
post-matric
scholarship
beneficiaries
among
dalits
and
tribals
during
the
first
two
years
of
NDA
rule
did
not
increase
at
pace
with
population
growth,
i.e.
the
percentage
of
such
beneficiaries
actually
declined
z
For
voluntary
organisations
working
among
Scheduled
Castes,
grants
to
the
tune
of
Rs.3.75
lakhs
were
given
in
2000-01,
which
declined
to
Rs.1.18
lakhs
by
2002-03.
z
Dalits
face
marginalisation
and
are
prevented
from
acquiring
the
benefits
of
development.
Carrying
night
soil
on
heads
is
still
a
prevalent
practice.
A
large
number
of
dalits
still
work
as
bonded
labour.
Not
only
are
atrocities
on
dalits
continuing,
they
have
acquired
a
new
intensity.
z
The
majority
communalism
and
upper-caste
hegemonistic
politics
of
BJP-RSS,
has
provided
a
new
aggressive
anti
dalit
thrust,
similar
to
its
anti-minority
policies.
We
see
cases
of
upper-caste
panchayats
passing
and
implementing
death
sentences
against
dalits.
Anti-dalit
violence
has
taken
a
new
turn
in
the
name
of
cow-protection.
In
Jhajhjhar,
Haryana,
a
mob
incited
by
the
VHP
lynched
five
dalits
who
were
in
police
custody.
The
Sangh
parivar
later
came
out
in
open
defence
of
this
killer
mob.
Similarly,
adivasis
are
being
targeted
due
to
anti-Christian
bigotry.
Quoting from religious scriptures, senior vice-president of VHP Giriraj Kishor defended the killing of dalits in Jhajhjhar, “The life of a cow is more valuable than the lives of human beings.”
According
to
the
National
Crime
Records
Bureau,
during
2000-01,
“atrocities
against
SC/ST
increased”.
In
2000,
29,445
such
cases
were
registered
which
increased
to
29,683
in
2001.
Lok
Sabha:
Answer
to
Unstarred
Question
1834;
29
Nov
2002
The
Record
of
the
BJP
led
NDA
Speaks
for
itself:
z Who opposed the changing of the name of Marathwada University to Ambedkar University? – Shiv Sena and RSS/BJP
z Who campaigned against the publication of Dr.Ambedkar’s book “Riddles of Hinduism”? - RSS/BJP
z Immediately after coming to power, who withdrew the large number of cases against people charged with crimes against dalits and tribals? – Shiv Sena/BJP Govt. in Maharashtra and BJP Govt. in UP
z Which Govt. appointed as an Union Minister a person who wrote a book trying to prove that Dr.Ambedkar was not only a false messiah but also an agent of the British? – BJP-led NDA Govt.
z Who supported an agitation against the allotment of a few plots of pastureland to dalits in Madhya Pradesh? – RSS/BJP
The record of the last five years makes it clear that Dalits have no place in the ‘Shining India’ proclaimed in the advertisements brought out by the BJP-led Govt. The BJP/RSS are as casteist as they are communal. They have always tried to convert dalits into pawns of their conservative, communal politics. On the other hand, parties like the BSP which claim to represent the dalits, will not hesitate to auction them off in their opportunist search for power. In contrast we have the example of the Left forces. The W.Bengal Govt. has distributed the maximum amount of land to dalits in the whole country. 42 per cent of the recorded bargadars and 55 per cent of the beneficiaries of land distribution were dalits and adivasis. It is in the interest of dalits that they join the ranks of democratic and secular forces, and in the forthcoming elections:
Strengthen CPI(M) and other Left forces!
Defeat the BJP/RSS-led NDA!
Ensure a secular govt. at the centre!