Dalit student Rohith Vemula hung himself with a banner of his union, after he and four other students were suspended and banned from the hostel, the cafeteria and other common areas for allegedly beating an activist of a rival student union in August. The five students had been living outside the campus in a tent. They are from lower middle class background and economically poor. The suicide has set off a political row with students and the opposition alleging that he was subjected to caste discrimination. A police complaint accuses union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and another BJP lawmaker of driving Rohith to suicide by compelling the university to punish him. Vice Chancellor Appa Rao Podile has also been named in the complaint.
After pressure build from media and think tanks, finally the university revoked the suspension of Rohith’s comrades, hours after 15 Dalit teachers resigned accusing Union Education Minister Smriti Irani of distorting the facts related to the suicide. Irani had alleged a misrepresentation of facts and proclaimed that the tragedy had nothing to do with a caste battle. Here, I’m not giving clean chit to HRD Minister but strongly condemning the Rohith Vemula’s death. However, after his death selective attacks were on BJP and Smriti Irani, for which I’m not in favour.
RohithVemula is not the first victim of social boycott in this University, albeit he was the 6th. In 2008, Senthil Kumar was the 1st who committed suicide due to social proscribe in Hyderabad Central University. In 2008, Senthil and Balaraj committed suicide followed by Swaran Singh in 2012. Pulayala Raju and Madari Venkatesh had ended their lives in 2013 and now RohithVemula has taken this drastic step in 2016. Interesting fact is that maximum suicides by Dalit students were committed in various states during UPA Government due to poor management and discrimination. Dalits were harassed, targeted and used by almost all politicians including Dalit leaders, who are representing Ambedkar’s ideology to fight for social justice.
Biggest threats to Dalits are their own representatives than any other political forces. In 1932, M. C. Rajah concluded a pact with two members of the Indian National Congress, Dr. B. S. Moonje and Jadhav. According to this pact, Moonje offered reserved seats to scheduled castes in return for Rajah’s support. This demand prompted B. R. Ambedkar to make an official demand for Separate electorates on an all-India basis. By late 1935, Rajah had already decided not to support Dr. Ambedkar’s intention of religious conversion from Hinduism. Rajah, as well as other Dalit leaders, felt that conversion from Hinduism would undermine the morale of Dalit and forward-caste Hindu activists engaged in a two-front war against both “upper” caste reactionaries as well as the British.
The saffron shift among Dalits is unmistakable but what is still not clear is that whether this would continue to benefit BJP electorally or is it a temporary phenomenon? The upcoming UP assembly elections hold the key to this question. And much will depend on how much real participation and power BJP is willing to vest in the hands of Dalits within the party and the government. The Congress, under the inspiration of Gandhi, has taken up the question of removal of Untouchability and the Hindu Mahasabha has followed the suit. However, time and again, Congress and BJP governments had betrayed Dalits and were responsible for their poor plight even after 68 years of Independence.
Congress had “systematically thrown” Dalit leaders out of party and some leaders like Ram Vilas Paswan compromised with upper caste ideological parties for their own political gains. BJP too reduced its former national president Bangaru Laxman a political non-entity after he was accused of receiving a kickback of Rs. 2 lakh as party fund. However, the saffron party has not taken any serious action against its strong man B S Yeddyurappa even after facing corruption charges because his vote bank is strong and the party was not in a mood to take chance. Dalit leaders not only sabotaged Ambedkar’s ideology but they also compromised to powers for personal interest than the community welfare. They don’t have honesty towards themselves or their society or ideology. Dalits don’t have faith in their ideology and doubt if they can achieve their goals through Ambedkar’s movement. They consider it a failure.
Ambedkar never compromised with the State. If ever he stepped back, it was due to compulsions or to buy time for another strategy. He always stood against radical Hindutva. In history, he emerged as a friend of Muslims. One reason why Dalits are being fascinated towards saffron parties is that even today the caste system is prevalent among the Dalits. That is a gift of Hinduism. The Buddhism that Dalits adopted has been in the form of a religion, not as an ideology. For them, Buddha is not a progressive icon or Ambedkar ‘a ladaku’ sainik. Saffron forces are trying to eliminate those who stood against Hindutva, and if that fails, they co-opt them. And today, the process of saffronisation of Dalits is catching pace. The current system does not solve the problems of the masses but only of a few. The saffron forces are capitalising on that discontent among the Dalit youth.
This is high time, Dalit need to understand and learn that regardless of coming into the saffron fold, their status has not changed, discontent will grow. They do not have commitment towards anybody, how can they be committed to saffron forces? The damage was done long back, when Republican Party of India leaders like R.S. Gawai joined hands with the Shiv Sena. Then Dhasal, Ramdas Athawale and Joginder Kawade followed the suite. The Dalit movement needs to be aggressive. There is no other way of stopping the atrocities committed against them.
