Shinde who inaugurated the Vicharvedh conference at the Hutatma Smruti Hall here on Friday, said that while other nations of the world have entered the 21st century upgrading their technologies, enhancing their knowledge and thoughts, Indians have been busy fighting on caste and religion issues. He called upon the intellectuals to cope with the situation.

Shinde said that between 1960 and 1970, many specialists in Maharashtra took all-out efforts to bring about a social revolution through their books they wrote on social equality in the society. They role played by their pens is unforgettable. He said that the state of Maharashtra is the front runner in this mission while the situation in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is very bad, where the backward classes have to still fight for social justice every step of the way.

Shinde lambasted the Central Government for imposing caste-based education while introducing a white paper on education recently at Delhi and said ``It a reverse step in education.'' He added that education must be about advanced information and technology and should not be based on caste and religion.

Shinde made it clear that he was not against brahmins or blue blood, but against brahmanyawadi. He called upon the intellectuals to fight for the cause of the backward classes and against social injustice.

Dr. B.L. Bhole, who presided over the function, said that the 20th century had failed in bringing about a social and economical revolution in society. Whatever legal protection was given to women, children, scheduled classes, tribes, adivasis, by amending the law, were never implemented. ``Social reform remained as slogans only,'' he said.

He said that the rural areas remained undeveloped since the post-independence period where problems regarding agriculture, education, health and poverty remained as they were.

``Providing television or telephone facility to the rural people does not mean the development of the area,'' he said and added that there is a lot of difference between the poverty of rural areas and urban areas. Rural poverty is a much more serious problem while urban poverty can be combatted easily, he felt. Dr. Bhole, however, lamented that even after the independence, the nation did not witness social and economical equality.