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Dalit politics shorn of social concerns

Social transformation did figure in the agenda of the BAMCEF. But once the DS4 (Dalit Shoshit Samaj Sangharsh Samiti) came into being, the intellectuals who had joined forces with Babu Kanshi Ram seeking to address social concerns were shown the door, writes Dwarka Bharti  

It is believed that Dalit politics is synonymous with social concerns. The same is said to be true of the politics rooted in Marxist ideology. What is tragic, however, is that Dalit politics, which rode to power on social concerns, abandoned these concerns, leading to its downfall.

The history of Dalit politics is not very old. But it is not in its infancy either and has seen many ups and downs. From Dr Ambedkar to Kanshi Ram and Mayawati, it has weathered many storms. It is also a bitter truth that barring Dr Ambedkar, all the other Dalit leaders have done only politics in the name of Dalits. They have nothing for their people, their objective being to somehow secure a place for themselves in non-Dalit politics.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: Dalit politics shorn of social concerns

About The Author

Dwarka Bharti

Dwarka Bharti was born into a Dalit family on 24 March 1949. He studied up to matriculation and worked for the government for a while before going to Iraq and Jordan as a labourer. On his return, he embraced the familial occupation of shoemaking. He has translated several works in Punjabi into Hindi and written on, among other topics, cultural issues and rights of Dalits. His writings have been published in various Punjabi and Hindi magazines. His autobiography ‘Mochi: Ek Mochi ka Adabi Zindaginama’ has been well received

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