[ZESTCaste] Implement 85th Amendment and attack untouchability: Himachal CPM

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/implement-85th-amendment-and-attack-untouchability-himachal-cpm/711715/

Implement 85th Amendment and attack untouchability: Himachal CPM
Express News Service Posted online: Tue Nov 16 2010, 00:02 hrs
Shimla : On the basis of its survey across 35,000 dalit households
across 1,000 panchayats, the CPM today claimed that at least 95 per
cent of Schedule Caste families were small and marginal farmers. As
the party held a rally in Shimla to seek the people's support to
launch a struggle for Schedule Castes' rights, it said that the survey
had shown that the majority of Dalits were living in poor conditions
and facing caste-based discrimination.
The CPM has now amalgamated its long-standing agenda of the need for
fresh land reforms in the state with dalit rights and has bid to
attract supporters of other parties on the issue in Himachal, which
has the second highest proportion of Schedule Castes among the states
with 24.7 per cent of its population being SC.

"This campaign would not only be led by dalits to assert their own
rights. The masses in general will also have to join in. After the
Panchayati Raj Institution elections are over in January, the CPM will
attract the support of people across different parties to join the
mass campaign for Dalit rights that would be launched from Mandi in
February," said CPM Secretary Rakesh Singha.

CPM State Secretariat Member Tikender Panwar said, "We will submit a
memorandum to the state government and also the survey about the
condition of dalits. Our demand is that the government should
implement the 85th Amendment to the Constitution and work to stop
caste-based discrimination in villages, where dalits are still not
allowed to enter temples, drink water from common sources and eat
together at public functions."

CPM leader Kuldeep Tanwar raised the issue of deliberate efforts not
to recruit schedule caste candidates as Anganwadi workers, mid-day
meal cooks or water carriers in schools as untouchability is still in
practice. The party will seek implementation of a reservation roaster
on all these recruitments to change people's mindsets.

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