‘Post-Godhra, Muslims the new untouchables’

What do you make of Deputy PM L.K. Advani being the chief guest during the Dhikkaar rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in Luckno...

What do you make of Deputy PM L.K. Advani being the chief guest during the Dhikkaar rally of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in Lucknow recently?
I think it was dhikkaar of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar instead of Mulayam Singh Yadav. While Ambedkar crafted the Constitution , the Hindutva brigade is carrying on a review with the purpose of killing it. Ambedkar stood for reservation for SC/STs, the BJP stands for eroding it. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism, the BJP is thinking of introducing a provision against religious conversion. An amalgamation of Ambedkar with Hindutva is a dishonour of Babasaheb.

Why are you against alliances forged by Dalit parties?
I agree alliance politics in the past did help Dalits. Consider the Dalit alliance with the Congress. The policy of reservation, nationalisation of banks, and even the emphasis on largescale heavy industry by the Congress greatly helped Dalits in the past. With the Congress out of power and that historic alliance in tatters, today Dalits have to fend for themselves. The new policies of privatisation being pursued by the BJP-led NDA Government are hurting Dalits more than others social groups. Today, all political parties are influenced by globalisation and as a result, the welfare state has withered away…Under these conditions, Dalits have to independently assert themselves.

Maybe Dalit politicians should encourage Dalit youths to become entrepreneurs instead of only bureaucrats via reservations.
Not entirely correct. Take the case of Jatavs: they have clearly benefited more from reservations than enterprise. Most Jatav cobblers of Kanpur and Agra (and their small tanneries) have today been replaced by Punjabi and Marwari owners of large tanneries. The preconditions for Dalits entering business in India have simply not been created. India, divided as it is among castes, culturally does not have the environment for globalisation and free enterprise to take roots.

What do you mean by saying that culturally we are not ready for globalisation?
Cultural barriers in India are worse than government barriers for free entreprise. Social taboos are worse than government regulations. The latter has loopholes, the former does not. Political and social equality is a precondition for healthy globalisation.

So are you against alliance politics in principle today?
No I am not against alliance per se. But Dalit groups must be careful as regards the nature of the alliance. Dalit organisations must tie up with like-minded groups which face similar problems like, for instance, the Muslims. The truth is that today Muslims are even worse off than Dalits. The minorities have become a worse untouchable post-Godhra. The natural alliance of Dalits can only be with the Dalit Muslims and other backward Muslims.

What do you think of Mayawati’s representational politics — seats according to population percentages?
The logic of coalition politics among social groups is very important — you cannot survive without such an alliance. But outside her symbolic politics, Mayawati refuses to talk about basic governance or about issues of poverty.

What do you think about the other Dalit parties? Do you think a pan-Indian Dalit party is essential?
Frankly speaking, the only two relevant groups in Dalit politics are the BSP and our organisation. The rest are largely marginal groups fighting for mere survival. I personally prefer the RPI’s Ramdas Athavale faction. In Tamil Nadu, the Pudiya Thamalgam and Panthers are a force to reckon with. We cannot build a pan-Indian Dalit party by forging alliances indiscriminately but by tying up on a broad strategy and agenda.