"Dalit is One who Faces Oppression through Caste, Patriarchy or Economic" : Yadav

"Why Can't Dalit Movement Come Together with Farmers," : Yadav

"Why Can't we have Fusion of These Energies? appealed Yogendra Yadav of Swaraj Abhiyan, joining the Azaadi Kooch Yatra that began from Mehsana yesterday commemorating One Year of the Una Lynching

The Azaadi Kooch March was flagged off from Mehsana in Gujarat yesterday. A total of 150 farmers lead by Yogendra Yadav and others had joined the movement. Five kilometers into the march, Gujarat police detained Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani and more than 100 activists of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar March. This happened after the march proceeded in the wake of the police denying permission for the same. Thereafter they were formally arrested.

The police have slapped charges under Section 143 of the IPC. The detained are now out on bail. The march is likely to proceed on its week-long journey in buses now, as opposed to foot.

Courtesy: Newsclick
 

The post Dalit & Landless are all Farmers who Till the Land, Need a Fusion of the Energies of the Oppressed: Yogendra Yadav appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On one year of Una-kand
Appeal from Jignesh Mevani, Coordinator, Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch

Dalits, Muslims, Workers and farmers together shall judge the three years of Modi government and shall roar together again: “Gaay ki poonch tum rakho, hume hamari zameen do” (You keep the tail of your cow, give us our rightful land!)
Friends,

The coming 11th of July would mark the first anniversary of the historic Una struggle. Last year on the 11th of July Vashram Sarvaiya, his brother Ramesh and their cousins Ashok and Bechar were mercilessly lynched in front of the police station by so called “gau-rakshaks” who then even uploaded this barbarity proudly on social media which shook the world.

In this one year, such atrocities on Dalits and instances of violence perpetrated in the name of “gau-raksha” has only multiplied manifold while the perpetrators roam free with impunity. Una, Dadri, Latehar, Alwar, Saharapur, Pratapgarh – are all witness to the trail of blood left by the RSS/BJP’s path towards a Hindu India.
In this context, the manner in which the Dalits of Gujarat brought the Muslims and various progressive/democratic together last year, it has registered itself as a milestone in the history of Dalit resistance in this country. The manner in which the Dalits left the carcasses of dead cattle in front of the DM’s office in Surendranagar district, it created ripples across the country as a symbol of resistance and resilience against saffron terror. And then on 31stJuly in Ahmedabad 20,000 Dalits came together to take an oath in front of Babasaheb Ambedkar that they will no more do the task of skinning dead animals and instead the government should help them break free from such inter-generational caste-determined labour and they should be provided 5 acres of land each. This was followed by the historic Dalit Asmita Yatra from Ahmedabad to Una where thousands participated and exposed the farce of Modi’s slogan of “sabka saath sabka vikas”.
This movement also provided much needed energy and hope to lakhs of youth and progressive forces across the country. Not only did Dalits of several villages give up skinning dead cattle, but also they took possession of 300 acres of land that had been redistributed 26 years back. Today it is this struggle of both dignity and existence that the Rashtiya Dalit Adhikar Manch is taking forward.

We believe that Dalits in their fight for self-respect and existence, should leave their traditional labour and instead focus on land, government jobs and alternative livelihood and should revitalize themselves to march ahead and organize themselves along with the survivors of Dadri, Alwar and Latehar to initiate the second phase of the historic Una March.

With this objective we are calling upon all Dalits, Muslims, Workers and the unemployed youth of this country to join us in a march – Azaadi Koonch – from Mahsana district of North Gujarat to Banaskhada district to fight against not just the casteist forces and the gau rakshaks, but also the institutionalised murder of workers and farmers and the destitution of thousands of unemployed youth.

At this juncture we would also like to remind one and all about the broken promises made by the then Chief Minister Anandiben Patel last year on her visit to Mota Samadhiyala village after the lynching of Dalits. In fact the casteist Gujarat government did not even bother to challenge the interim bail granted to the accused. The drama-king Narendra Modi who also hails from Gujarat on the one hand calls himself an “Ambedkar bhakt” while on the other hand inspires his puppet government in Gujarat to adopt the Nagpur model of granting life imprisonment for cattle slaughter. Is this the lesson that he has chosen to learn from Una, Saharanpur or Rohith Vemula’s murder?

In this country two Dalits are killed every day with them largely being the victims of mob violence too. But the rulers today find it urgent to enact laws for protection of cows and not against lynching of human beings. Hence as part of Azaadi Koonch we would demand an effective law to address mob lynchings like Dadri or Una so as to punish the perpetrators.

This Azadi Koonch in its last phase shall reach Banaskantha and Rapar Tehsil where landless Dalits have received redistributed land, but only on paper, and where their lands are under dominant caste-hold. So the government basically wants to keep the Dalits landless and thereby force them to continue with manual scavenging, sweeping and cleaning. When corporate are given land, the possession is ensured overnight if required by force. But when it comes to the Dalits and the landless, then we see that more than a lakh of hectares of redistributed land still remain on paper since last forty years with no actual possession in the hands of the Dalits. The Azaadi Koonch shall end with taking possession over this land where the tricoulour shall be unfurled. This is what we mean by our real Azaadi.
Since the fight for land is also the fight for self-respect and freedom from economic exploitation, the Azaadi Koonch would reiterate the principles of annihilation of caste and eradication of economic slavery. We will take all of this into account so as to broaden our consciousness and also broaden the very definition of freedom.

We expect all justice-loving democratic citizen shall come forward and join us to make the Azaadi Koonch a success.    

Related Articles:

1. Land to the Dalit Tiller, not to Tycoons is our Mission: Jignesh Mevani

2. If the Cow is Your Mother, You Bury Her: Gujarat Dalits Cry Liberation

3. ‘Pratirodh’: Dalits from 10 Gujarat Villages unite to combat Caste Atrocities

The post One Year of Una: National call for “Azaadi Kooch” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On July 11, 2016, four young Dalits were publicly flogged and paraded around in Una in broad daylight, for skinning a dead cow. The most inhuman kind of torture has been meted out to people on the pretext of cow protection, and the perpetrators in their bravado have uploaded the brutal acts on social media with impunity. Vigilante Hindutva groups acting in the name of cow protection clearly had no idea what they were getting into. Their actions sparked widespread protests in the state which transformed into a movement for Dalit rights. A movement that aspires to liberate Dalits from jobs like disposing of the carcasses of dead cattle and manual scavenging; and ensure land rights, alternative jobs and basic dignity of life. On July 31, at a Dalit Maha Sammelan in Ahmedabad, thousands of Dalits pledged to stop picking up carcasses and give up occupations like manual scavenging. It also led to the formation of the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti to seek justice for the victims of the brutal attack in Una.

Shortly after, on August 5, the Dalit Asmita Yatra was flagged off from Ahmedabad and travelled over 400 kilometres through different villages of Gujarat. Pledges were taken in village after village to shun the traditional caste-based occupations of manual scavenging, cleaning sewer lines and skinning or disposing of dead cattle. The ten-day yatra culminated in the Azadi Kooch at Una on Independence Day. The Una protest and Dalit Asmita Rally are a historic response to attacks on Dalit lives, dignity and livelihood. They have seen an unprecedented unity of purpose with different individuals and progressive groups coming out in solidarity with this unique protest.

The Modani Model and Reality
Narendra Modi and his team have worked overtime to build the myth of a “Gujarat model” as one of inclusiveness, virtually an El Dorado – a place of fabulous wealth and opportunity. In reality what operates is what the people of Gujarat describe as the “Modani model”, with an abundance of opportunities for corporate loot at the expense of the masses. It also gives a free hand to communal and casteist forces for the unbridled implementation of their divisive Hindutva agenda. The Scheduled Castes or the Dalits make up 7.1% of the total population of Gujarat; among them, landlessness, unemployment and poverty are rampant. Lakhs of acres of land have been given to corporate houses like Adani, Ambani, Tata and the like, while the people continue to remain landless. There are more than 55,000 manual scavengers in Gujarat according to a study by the Navsarjan Trust.

What we saw on our trip to Una from Ahmedabad were signs of extreme poverty. A few of the Dalit children we spoke to mentioned that they faced extreme discrimination even at school, and were even forced to clean toilets. Very few Dalits had managed to find alternative employment and give up what they called traditionally imposed “dirty jobs”. Some of them reported that they were going to Mumbai, Kerala and even Lakshwadeep in search of menial jobs in painting, carpentry and in the construction sector, as life was much better there. There has been much hype about the “world class” roads of Gujarat. We found far too many potholes in the Modani model of development. It took us ten hours to cover the 350-kilometre distance from Ahmedabad to Una. Attacks on Muslims and Dalits by vigilante groups in the name of “gau raksha” (cow protection) have increased since the Narendra Modi-led BJP government assumed power at the centre. Incidents of public flogging, force-feeding cow-dung, stripping and parading Dalit victims have come to light. BJP governments, at the centre and in various states, have implicitly endorsed the violence by either refusing to take action against the culprits, or even explicitly glorifying them. Different Hindutva groups and vigilante “gau rakshaks” (cow protectors) are perpetrating such acts which dehumanise certain communities and are an assault on their basic dignity. "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas" is a hollow slogan for the Dalits, who have not seen any improvement in their economic condition, only an increase in brutality and violence. It was the pent-up anger against growing oppression that we saw emerging in this Dalit movement.

The Dalit Asmita Rally
When we set out to Una as part of the Dalit Asmita Rally and the Azadi Kooch under the banner of the Una Dalit Atyachar Ladat Samiti, we were clear that it was an act of solidarity with a struggle led by the most oppressed sections of society. Solidarity actions to coincide with the Una programme were held in different states. On August 13 we heard reports that a bike rally seeking to mobilise for the Azadi Kooch was attacked by "upper-caste" Darbars at a village called Samter in Gir Somnath District. On August 14 the Dalit Asmita Rally had begun marching towards Una. We left from Una to join the rally but were stopped some way from Samter by a violent mob armed with weapons and stones which had blocked the road using vehicles and boulders. They also assaulted journalists from Dalit Camera and Two Circles.

It was a well-planned mobilisation seeking to disrupt the march. The police were mute spectators. Armed men in motorbikes and motorbike-drawn carts tried to create an atmosphere of fear. That evening, more reports reached us of attacks on people coming to the Azadi Kooch, some of whom had to be hospitalised. The threats and attacks by "gau rakshaks" only helped steel our resolve and bring more people into the streets in open defiance. The march reached Una by evening, taking an alternative route. We met the members at their camp and marched shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them throughout Una. Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch activists from Gujarat and Maharashtra were present in good numbers. We found that a few comrades from the Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front and the Progressive Writers’ Association had come of their own initiative. The Students’ Federation of India was represented by a few activists from Gujarat and the Hyderabad Central University. Kisan Sabha, Trade Union and AIDWA representatives were also part of the march.

The march through Una raised spirits. Slogans of "Jai Bhim" and calls to fulfil the dreams of Babasaheb Ambedkar, and against Narendra Modi and the BJP government were raised. The most popular slogan, however, was “Keep the Cow’s Tail; Give Us Our Land”. The August 15 Azadi Kooch had an electrifying atmosphere. Thousands gathered in open defiance of all threats and attacks. Young Dalits and women formed the bulk of the mobilisation. The young leader of the movement, Jignesh Mevani, read out a pledge to give up occupations like disposing of cattle carcasses and manual scavenging, and demanded alternative employment as well as five acres of land to all Dalit families. He also called for a Rail Roko if the government failed to accede to the demand for land. Radhika Vemula, Rohith Vemula's mother, hoisted the tricolour and called for a struggle for Azadi from all kinds of oppression. JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar also addressed the meeting.

The villagers of Mota Samdhiyala, including the victims of the attack by "gau rakshaks", were forced to sit on a dharna at the Una Police Station, demanding action be taken against armed gangs threatening and attacking people. On Independence Day they sought protection to live in their villages and homes in peace. We interacted with the victims of the flogging and their families and could sense the pervasive feeling of fear. The culprits move around scot-free even as poor Dalit families are forced to live like refugees amidst intimidation and an atmosphere of fear. A Dalit leader alleged that his vehicle was fired at. Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, a few journalists and I along with Vikram, General Secretary, SFI, and social activist Mujahid Nafees were present with them till they were escorted away under police protection. Later the "gau rakshaks" and Darbars attacked the Dalit protesters and destroyed some vehicles. As we crossed Samter, where opponents of the Una rally were concentrated, we could smell what seemed like teargas. Ambulances and police vehicles crisscrossed us with their sirens blaring. Numerous police personnel were reported injured in their attack and hospitalised. The armed goons stopped our bus looking for rally participants, but eventually let us pass. A little later the driver assured us we were in the "Safe Zone". All this on Independence Day!

What does Una hold for the future?
Is Una the Rosa Parks moment in the history of Dalit struggle against caste oppression? The answer is an emphatic “No”. The movement could well be much more if taken to its logical conclusion, as the issues involved are far-reaching. Rosa Parks transformed a single act of defiance into a defining moment for the modern American civil rights movement. Her act of defiance was against an unfair segregation law which forced black passengers to give up their seat to any white passenger who needed one. She was not the first to refuse: two other black women had previously been arrested on similar charges. Likewise in India, there have been protests against caste oppression and manual scavenging even before Una. However, by the sheer nature of what it seeks to overturn this movement could well inspire and spark off a nation-wide movement which could have an impact even more far-reaching than Rosa Parks's act of defiance. To realise its potential, it must seize the opportunity, and organise and rally around all progressive sections in solidarity with the struggle. Una could have a cascading impact and come to be counted among the historic struggles against caste oppression that have become part of folklore. History beckons us to build the broadest possible unity and take the message of Una to all parts of India, so as to organise and build a movement that will forever put an end to caste oppression.

First published in Bodhi Commons ; republished here in Newsclick.in with minor changes.
(Vijoo Krishnan is an academic and political activist. He has been President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union; at present he is Joint Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist))
 

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