Caste & Class

 

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said that in Indian conditions, caste oppression and class exploitation are inter-twined. Participating in a seminar on “Caste & Dalits, the Way Forward” organized by the Department of Humanities, University of Hyderabad, on July 25,  Karat underscored the need to fight back neo-liberal policies.  He said that neo-liberal economic policies are having an adverse effect on Dalits. Privatisation is taking away reservations.

 

He pointed out that landlessness among Dalits is a serious issue and therefore for the emancipation of dalits effective land reforms has a great role to play. He cited the example of West Bengal where out of the total land seized and distributed in the state during the tenure of the Left Front, 56 percent were given to people from the scheduled castes and tribes.

 

Prakash observed that in the early stages of the Indian Communist Movement the issue of caste discrimination was taken up. This is now being taken forward and strengthened as reflected in the struggles against untouchability in states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka under the Party’s leadership. As far as the Party organization is concerned, Prakash said that during the last decade there has been a conscious attempt by the CPI(M) to change it’s social composition, by inducting people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. He expressed the hope that these attempts will be soon be reflected in the social composition of the higher committees of the Party.

 

July 26, 2013