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[ZESTCaste] Uthapuram castes away ugly past

2012-02-15T23:49:00.000-08:00

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-15/madurai/31062903_1_muthalamman-villagers-uthapuram

Uthapuram castes away ugly past
TNN Feb 15, 2012, 11.54AM IST

MADURAI: Tuesday's move by both dalit and non-dalit communities in
Uthapuram to withdraw cases filed against each other during the years
of animosity marks the success of a series of initiatives by the
police and revenue officials backed by villagers to break with the
past.

Representatives from non-dalit Pillai and dalit Pallar communities -
Marimuthu, Murugesan, Ponniah, Sankaralingam along with K Aadhimoolam
and Chinmaya Somasundar, who were coordinating the peace process said
that the 50-year-long caste issue between these two communities was
amicably settled on October 20, 2011 after an eight-point agreement
was signed between both parties.

As the first step, the temple entry was scheduled on November 10, 2011
where Pallars were taken into Muthalamman temple administered by
Pillais.

Now, they have asked the district police to withdraw cases filed
against each other because they are burdened with a series of cases
and struggling to lead a peaceful life, the villagers said. Murugesan,
leader of Pillai community said that what they need is a peaceful life
and welfare measures for the village. "We have approached the
government for the same, seeking welfare measures like construction of
road, bus shelter and other facilities which will aid the
reconciliation process," he said.

B Balanagadevi, DIG, Madurai Range and Garg, who addressed reporters
later said that the villagers have approached the police department
requesting to withdraw the cases pending against them.

"The villagers have requested us to withdraw the case pending against
them and we will expedite their request as per the regular procedure,"
Balanagadevi said.

Commenting on the road which was the major issue between the two
parties, Garg said that the people from both communities are using the
road after the agreement was signed. "They are demanding that the road
be widened for the vehicular movement and there are small
encroachments as well. We are taking the necessary measures to ensure
that the reconciliation process goes on smooth," he said.

Uthapuram residents' bold step to break caste barriers and build a new
community that subsumes age-old caste heirachies could serve as a role
model for other such villages.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit trap: The undoing of Maya?

2012-02-15T23:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Specials/Coverage/Assembly-Elections-2012/Chunk-HT-UI-AssemblyElections2012-UP-Strategy/Dalit-trap-The-undoing-of-Maya/SP-Article10-811544.aspx

Dalit trap: The undoing of Maya?
Varghese K George, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, February 14, 2012

"Mayawati's government has been as good or as bad as all governments
have been," Keval Singh says. After some initial
evasion, someone finally declares: "We had voted for BSP in 2007, but
not this time."

It is not unusual for a particular group to switch loyalty between two
elections, but the discontent among Kushwahas with the BSP in Saidpur
is illustrative of a huge tactical disadvantage that incumbent chief
minister Mayawati faces in constituencies reserved for Scheduled
Castes.

"It was in these constituencies that Mayawati had won the 2007
elections; and now, it is here that her rainbow social coalition is
threatening to unravel," says Rajesh Singh, a political scientist
based in Gorakhpur.

In 2007, it was in SC constituencies that the Brahmin-Dalit core of
Maya's social rainbow played out in its full strength — as no other
party could put up a Brahmin candidate, the community voted in full
strength for the Dalit put up by the BSP. Others gravitated towards
this combination easily and the victory was phenomenal — BSP won 62 of
89 SC seats, nearly one third of its total tally of 206.

As the Brahmins are showing clear signs of abandoning Mayawati, her
toughest battle is in these constituencies — where the candidate is
Dalit but there is no other caste strength to add on to it. The
increased militancy and consolidation among her core voters is
visible— but is evidently not good enough, as her own supporters
admit. "Dalits of all castes would mostly vote for BSP, but all others
will vote against it," says Manish Gautam, an articulate, 18-year-old
Dalit boy, who has been recently recruited by the Indian Air Force.

Until Mayawati's Dalit-Brahmin coalition trumped it in 2007, the
Samajwadi Party had been doing well in SC constituencies — in 2002
assembly election, the SP had 34, while the BSP had only 24. Between
2002 and 2007, the BSP's overall number of seats went up by 100%, but
its SC seats went up by 250%. In 2009 Lok Sabha elections — by when
already the rainbow coalition was weakening — of the total 23 seats
won by the SP, 10 were reserved.

While the SP is hoping such natural factors to play out, the Congress
has started 'Mission-85,' a special drive focusing on reserved seats —
four less than in 2007 — after delimitation of constituencies.

Led by IAS-officer-turned Congress MP BL Punia and young Dalit face
Ashok Tanwar MP, a special task force has been deployed in the SC
constituencies. "Dalit candidates are not well versed with techniques
of electioneering. We are supporting them in that," says Tanwar. "We
will get at least 40 of the reserved seats," claims Punia.

In Saidpur, the consolidation against the BSP seems to be favouring
the SP. The gainers can be different across constituencies; but there
appears to be only one loser.

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[ZESTCaste] Odisha urges AIIMS to depute a neurologist for Pipili victim

2012-02-15T23:47:00.001-08:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/odisha-urges-aiims-to-depute-a-neurologist-for-pipili-victim/963875.html

Odisha urges AIIMS to depute a neurologist for Pipili victim
PTI | 05:02 PM,Feb 15,2012

Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (PTI) As health condition of the alleged dalit
rape and attempt to murder victim of Pipili continued to remain
critical, Odisha government had requested the All India Institute of
Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi to depute a neurologist for further
examination, official sources said today. The condition of the
19-year-old girl, who had been treated at the ICU of the SCB Medical
College Hospital in Cuttack since January first week, did not improve
despite best efforts of the doctors of the hospital, the state
government said in a letter to the director of the AIIMS. The girl,
who was in semi-coma stage, was allegedly raped and attempts were made
to kill her at Arjungada village under Pipili Police Station area on
November 28, 2011. She was admitted to the SCBMCH following an order
of the Orissa High Court. The state government also mentioned in the
letter that the director of National Commission for Scheduled Castes,
Dr Divakar Basak during his recentt visit, had called for the service
of a neurologist from the AIIIMS, New Dlhi for providing better
medical care to the victim. So far three commissions like NCSC,
National Commission for Women (NCW) and the State Commission for Women
(SCW) have separately undertaken probe into the alleged rape and
attempt to murder case involving the teenaged girl. The SCW, which had
submitted its enquiry report to the state government, blamed the
doctors for the worsening health condition of the dalit girl, while
NCSC director expressed his displeasure over the treatement of the
victim during initial days.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit millionaires defy caste system

2012-02-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/NB16Df02.html

Feb 16, 2012

Dalit millionaires defy caste system
By Sudha Ramachandran

BANGALORE - India's Dalits (former Untouchables), whose growing
electoral influence has been visible for some years, are beginning to
slowly reveal their economic muscle. A miniscule but expanding group
of first-generation Dalit entrepreneurs has thrown up some
millionaires.

This has triggered debate on the role that economic liberalization has
played in changing their fortunes.

According to the Dalit Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), there
are over 30 Dalit crorepatis (one whose net wealth exceeds a crore or
10 million rupees - roughly US$205,400) in the country.

While the number of crorepatis is exceedingly small especially since
there are around 170 million Dalits in India, the success

Dilbert
mute

stories - most of them are tales of rags to riches - indicate that in
the new India, Dalits can begin hoping to figure in Fortune's list of
millionaires.

Dalits are at the bottom of India's millennia-old caste hierarchy.
They have suffered intense discrimination for centuries, excluded from
education and public life and allowed employment only in "dirty" jobs
such as cleaning toilets, skinning cows, digging graves, etc. So dirty
were Dalits in the eyes of the upper castes that even the shadow of a
Dalit falling on an upper-caste person was considered to be polluting.

Consequently, Dalits lived far away from upper-caste settlements.
Dalit villages were located so that the air from there would not blow
into upper caste homes. They were not allowed into restaurants,
temples or other public places. They were forbidden from carrying
umbrellas, wearing footwear, shirts or sunglasses.

Although in 1950, Independent India banned the practice of
"Untouchability" ie the social, physical and political exclusion of
Dalits, and followed it up with the Prevention of Atrocities Act in
1989 and sought to improve literacy and economic well-being of the
community through quotas in education and government employment,
Dalits continue to suffer severe discrimination and are targets of
horrific violence unleashed by dominant castes.

Dalits constitute the overwhelming majority of India's poor,
illiterate and hungry. A mere 30.1% of Dalits are literate today
compared with the Indian average of 75%. Discrimination against Dalit
children in schools forces them to drop out; the Dalit dropout rate is
almost 50%. Dalits constitute the bulk of India's landless laborers,
its unemployed and underpaid. In India, cleaning of toilets is still a
task that only Dalits do.

It is the context of continuing exclusion and ill-treatment of Dalits
that makes the emergence and rise of Dalit capitalists all the more
spectacular.

In the two decades since India began liberalizing its economy, the
number of millionaires and billionaires in the country has grown
phenomenally. In 2011, India had 55 (dollar) billionaires, six more
than the previous year. Two Indians figure among the 10 richest in the
world.

The emergence of Dalit millionaires is a far more dramatic development
than that of millionaires in other communities. After all most of them
are first generation illiterates.

Take Ashok Khade, for instance. Born in a mud hut in Ped village in
Maharashtra, Khade belonged to a family of Chamars, a Dalit subcaste
that is among the lowest in the caste hierarchy. One of six children
of a poor, illiterate cobbler, Khade's childhood was the typical Dalit
story of exclusion.

As a young adult, he worked at the dockyard by day and studied for a
diploma in engineering by night, sleeping under staircases as he could
not afford to pay rent for a home. Today, the 56-year-old is a
millionaire, heading the $100-million DAS Offshore Engineering, an oil
rig engineering company with 4,500 people on its payrolls.

Most of the Dalit millionaires have similar stories tell. Their rise
to riches was against all odds.

By setting up their own enterprises and investing capital in them,
Dalit entrepreneurs are signaling that they are not averse to risk.
Several are unwilling to take a chance on discrimination by their
dominant caste colleagues. Aware of the reality out there, some have
changed or dropped their surnames if these reveal their Dalit origin.

The successful entrepreneurs now they want to help others in the community.

Some are hiring Dalits in their companies. They are also trying to
remove hurdles that they encountered when they were starting off as
aspiring entrepreneurs.

One such hurdle is access to capital. Although there are government
institutions such as the National Scheduled Caste Finance and
Development Corporation, that extends loans to Dalits, these loans are
small and given in installments. Besides, existing funding mechanisms
are largely against collateral. This means they are beyond the reach
of a large number of aspiring Dalit entrepreneurs, DICCI's chairman
Milind Kamble pointed out.

This prompted DICCI to set up a US$100 million venture capital fund
for Dalits last year that is scheduled to open up for business in a
few months. Several Dalit millionaires including Khade and Kamble have
contributed to this fund.

Another body which has pitched in to help aspiring Dalit entrepreneurs
is the Confederation of Indian Industry. Last year it agreed to work
with DICCI to increase sourcing of goods and services from Dalit
entrepreneurs by 10-20%.

The success of some Dalit entrepreneurs, their entry into the
exclusive millionaire club is often attributed to opportunities opened
up by economic liberalization.

A recent study by the Center for the Advanced Study of India of the
University of Pennsylvania covering 19,071 Dalit households in Bilaria
Ganj block in Azamgarh district and Khurja block in Bulandshahr
district (both in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh) found that
Dalit lifestyles have undergone "massive changes" since 1990.

In terms of asset ownership, for instance, between 1990 and 2007, the
proportion of Dalit households in the sample with a television set
jumped from 0.9% to 22% in Azamgarh and 0.7% to 45% in Bulandshahr.
The study found a "very substantial improvement in housing" with 64.4%
and 94.6% in Azamgarh and Bulandshahr respectively reporting they now
live in pakka (concrete) housing compared to 18.1% and 38.4%
respectively in 1990.

Many are unwilling to attribute the improvement in the Dalit situation
to economic liberalization. "Behavioral and lifestyle changes are
natural with time and circumstances," Vivek Kumar, sociology professor
at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, told The Mint, a
business daily.

Others argue that the Dalit situation has in fact worsened with the
state increasingly pulling out of health, education, etc since 1990.
Denied of subsidies and safety nets that were available pre-1990,
Dalits are running into huge debts to pay for healthcare or worse.

Analysts like P Sainath have drawn attention to economic
liberalization's impact for India's poorest, the bulk of who are
Dalits. This impact has been brutal especially for those in
agriculture, which is where most Dalits are employed. Over the past 15
years, over a quarter million farmers - most of them are likely to be
Dalits - have committed suicide on account of mounting debt.

Thus not all of India's Dalits have any reason to celebrate
liberalization. In fact the majority are not. The phenomenon of Dalit
millionaires after all is hardly representative of the Dalit reality.

While liberalization of India's economy has facilitated the emergence
of Dalit millionaires, the significant role of literacy and political
empowerment - the rise of Dalit politics coincided with liberalization
- cannot be ignored. A common feature of the Dalit millionaires is
that they have had some education.

While education provided the foundation, liberalization opened up opportunity.

Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in
Bangalore. She can be reached at sudha98@hotmail.com

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[ZESTCaste] Protest human sacrifice of a dalit worker

2012-02-15T04:53:00.000-08:00

Protest human sacrifice of a dalit worker

NARABALI VIRODHI VEDIKE

BENGALURU

PRESS
STATEMENT

14 FEBRUARY 2012

The human sacrifice that took place at Thirumaladevara Koppa in
Ranebennuru taluk of Haveri district on 26 November 2011 has already
drawn the attention of the people allover the state. A 17 year old dalit
boy by name Basavaraja Kadimani was sacrificed to set right Vastu Dosha of
the house of Basavanagowda of the same village. Basavaraja was working
with Basavanagowda , a land lord. as a tractor driver. In fact almost all
the members of his family had worked for the land lord at one time or the
other in the past.

Nijalinga swamy, popularly known as Tatu Ajja of Niralagi near Gadag used
to visit Basavanagowda very often . Under his guidance the land lord had
already performed many rituals on various occasions. On 26th November,
2012 Basavaraja went to his master's place at night and did not return.
Next day early in the morning the members of his family, father, mother
and elder brother were informed by the police of Haligeri police station
that Basavaraja had been injured in a fight with Ninganagowda, the son of
Basavanagowda and had been hospitalized. The police took them not the
hospital, but to the police station where they told them that their boy had
been killed and not just injured. They were brought to a spot near their
village where they saw a gunny sack containing the dead body of Basavaraj.
The body bore marks of vermilion and turmeric . It also had a hole on the
forehead. An eye had been plucked out and a few teeth ere missing. The
parents and others suspected that it was a case of sacrifice and
complained to the police on those grounds. But the police did not register
it as case of sacrifice but continued to maintain that it was only a
murder . Later on the villagers also found traces of blood sprinkled all
over around the house. When the police opened the doors of the house nearly
50 days after the incident blood marks were also found inside the
building. Still the police were not ready to consider the angle of human
sacrifice in this case. Ninganagowda , the son of Basavanagowda had
surrendered to the police saying that he had killed Basavaraja.

Members of Peoples' Democratic Forum and Swabhimani Dalita Shakti visited
the village on 9th January 2012 met the villagers including the parents
and relatives of Basavaraja and also the police officer(Dy S P of
Ranebennuru) investigating the case. We found that in spite of the
evidence and complaint by the parents the police are not ready to consider
the angle of human sacrifice seriously. They have been insisting that it
was only a murder committed by Ninganagowda suspecting illicit relationship
between Basavaraja and his (Ninganagowda's) wife which on verificatio does
not sound credible. The people of the village and also various other
progressive elements of the area held a protest rally and demonstration at

Ranebennuru on 30th January 2012 to press the demand to consider it as not
merely a murder but as human sacrifice. It is only then that the sorcerer,
Tatu Ajja's role will be exposed. It is essential not merely to find out
the truth but also to prevent any recurrence of such superstitious
practices in future. But some how the police of Ranebennuru are not
prepared to move in that direction . This will only protect the sorcerer
and the head of the family Basavanagowda.

Already an application has been made to the State Human Rights Commission
and an appeal to the honourable governor of Karnataka has been submitted
through the Tahasildar of Ranebennuru.

Demands:

1)The police of Ranebennuru should take the complaint of the parents of
Basavaraj seriously and treat it as a case of human sacrifice.

2)In case of the local police failing to do so the case should be handed
over to the CBI by the state government.

3)The sorcerer Tatu Ajja and the head of the family Basavanagowda who was
responsible for the murder/sacrifice should be arrested.

3)Compensation should be paid to the family according to rules existing in
such cases.

Shivalingam

(Swabhimani Dalita Shakti)

Nagari Babaiah

(People's Democratic Forum)

Nagaragere Ramesh

(Peoples' Democratic Form)

Kranti Govind

(Swabhimani Dalita Shakti)

Ramadas Rao

(P U C L)

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[ZESTCaste] Cong creating fissures between Muslims, OBCs: Mayawati

2012-02-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/cong-creating-fissures-between-muslims-obcs-mayawati/963460.html

Cong creating fissures between Muslims, OBCs: Mayawati
PTI | 07:02 PM,Feb 14,2012

Fatehpur (UP), Feb 14 (PTI) BSP supremo Mayawati today accused
Congress of trying to "create fissures" between Muslims and OBCs by
promising nine per cent reservation to the minority community.
"Congress is trying to create fissures between Muslims and OBCs by
promising nine per cent reservation to them," Mayawati said at an
election meeting here. Asking the voters to be wary of such designs,
she said, "You all should remain alert while exercising your
franchise." She alleged that BJP, SP and Congress were involved in
several scams and they were targeting BSP for its 'Sarvjan Samaj'
policy. Targeting EC for asking BSP to cover statues of elephant - the
party symbol, Mayawati said the decision led to free advertisement.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit trap: The undoing of Maya?

2012-02-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/chunk-ht-ui-assemblyelections2012-up-strategy/Dalit-trap-The-undoing-of-Maya/Article1-811544.aspx

Dalit trap: The undoing of Maya?
Varghese K George, Hindustan Times
Lucknow, February 14, 2012

In Saidpur, the consolidation against the BSP seems to be favouring
the SP. The gainers can be different across constituencies; but there
appears to be only one loser.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati stalling central schemes: Sonia

2012-02-14T21:27:00.001-08:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Mayawati-stalling-central-schemes-Sonia/articleshow/11892542.cms

Mayawati stalling central schemes: Sonia
TNN | Feb 15, 2012, 03.06AM IST

Sonia Gandhi lashed out at the successive non-Congress governments in
the state over the past 20 years for the sorry plight of UP and held
Congress as the only viable alternative to take it to development
trail.

LUCKNOW: Rae Bareli turned out to be the hottest political destination
on Tuesday with an avalanche of top leaders including its MP and
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, BJP president Nitin Gadkari, his
predecessor Rajnath Singh, and Samajwadi Party state president
Akhilesh Yadav trying to charm the voters.

Accompanied by daughter Priyanka, Sonia Gandhi made her first
appearance in her constituency at the poll time. In her brief and
brisk address, the Congress president lashed out at the successive
non-Congress govern-ments in the state over the past 20 years for the
sorry plight of UP and held Congress as the only viable alternative to
take it to development trail.

Targeting Mayawati in particular for 'swindling Rs 1 lakh crore sent
by the Central government for funding various projects', Sonia said:
"while the Centre had never differentiated in allocation of funds to
UP, the Maya regime has done its utmost to hamper its flagship schemes
by creating hurdles at every step."

Ahost of schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme MNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY),
National Rural Health Mission NRHM etc have failed to benefit the
people because the money sent for its implementation was siphoned by
the corrupt regime, she charged. Zeroing in on the long-standing
tussle over the Lalaganj rail coach factory which finally ended up in
a massive showdown between the BSP and Congress, Sonia smelled a
conspiracy to deprive residents of family constituencies of Amethi and
Rae Bareli of employment opportunity.

Apart from the BSP, BJP and SP governments also failed to provide good
governance in UP which has seen practically no development over the
last two decades, she alleged. The Congress president exhorted the
audience to rise above the caste and religion-based politics
propagated by other political parties and strengthen the hands of
Congress.
Assembly elections 2012 news

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[ZESTCaste] UP assembly elections 2012: Mayawati's divide & rule strategy turns out a dud

2012-02-14T21:27:00.000-08:00

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/UP-assembly-elections-2012-Mayawatis-divide-rule-strategy-turns-out-a-dud/articleshow/11892819.cms

15 Feb, 2012, 05.01AM IST, Man Mohan Rai,ET Bureau
UP assembly elections 2012: Mayawati's divide & rule strategy turns out a dud
LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Mayawati's demand to split Uttar Pradesh into
four smaller states has figured just perfunctorily in her poll
campaign so far, highlighting her inability to turn it into an
election issue.

The proposal, rushed through the state assembly and sent to the Centre
just before campaigning began for the ongoing polls, now finds mention
only towards the end of her speeches. In Unnao on Sunday, for example,
the chief minister only reminded the audience that the Congress-led
central government had 'failed' to act on the resolution.

"The people in general seem indifferent to the issue of creation of
smaller states out of UP," says Professor AK Pandey, director of the
Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at the
Banaras Hindu University.

"It largely stems from their realisation that the issue is being
raised not for the development of the region but for political
motives." Professor Sudhir Panwar of Lucknow University, who is also
the president of the Kisan Jagriti Manch, blames Mayawati for not
having projected the issue properly.

"She did not put faces to the movement who could have inspired and
rallied supporters," says Panwar, "She failed to project local
leadership from the Bahujan Samaj Party in these four regions."

As per the resolution passed by the state assembly on November 21,
2011, the state should be divided into Purvanchal (eastern UP),
Paschim Pradesh (western UP), Avadh Pradesh (central UP) and
Bundelkhand, the drought-stricken region which shares its borders with
Madhya Pradesh.

The resolution was passed without discussion with- in minutes amid a
walk- out by the opposition parties. The government then forwarded the
resolution to the Centre asking it to fast-track the demand. The
Samajwadi Party, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party all termed
the proposal as an attempt by the ruling party to divert attention
from its misrule ahead of the state polls.

While the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal had been an old proponent
of a separate state for western UP, the party piped down on the issue
ever since it joined hands with Congress in the state. Though
Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been an opponent of UP's
division, he has not been raising the issue, probably so that his
friend-turned-rival Amar Singh does not get an opportunity to score
easy points.

Singh's newlyformed Rashtriya Lok Manch party has based its campaign
largely on the creation of Purvanchal state. The Bundelkhand Congress,
led by TV actorturned-activist Raja Bundela is the only leader
seriously highlighting the issue in these polls. Mayawati's move put
Congress in the spot since it had been struggling to deal with the
demand of a separate Telangana.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has been fighting shy of
addressing the issue throughout his election campaign. At a recent
press conference, he said the issue should be referred to the State
Reorganisation Commission.

Analysts point out, however, that had the state government been really
serious about the proposal it would not have sent it to the Centre
with no mention of the districts to be included in each of the four
states, the proposed capitals and the manner in which the state
resources would be shared.

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[ZESTCaste] Akhilesh Yadav emerges as challenger in Uttar Pradesh

2012-02-14T21:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17023112

15 February 2012 Last updated at 00:44 GMT

Akhilesh Yadav emerges as challenger in Uttar Pradesh

With the regional Samajwadi Party emerging as the main challenger to
the government of Dalit icon Mayawati in the ongoing assembly
elections in India's Uttar Pradesh state, the spotlight is on Akhilesh
Yadav, the party's young president who is being credited with its
turnaround. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Lucknow profiles the new star on
the politically crucial state's horizon.

A few hundred people have gathered on a winter evening by the roadside
in a crowded commercial area in Lucknow.

Overhead hangs red bunting with the smiling faces of party leaders and
pictures of a bicycle - their election symbol.

Almost all the men in the crowd sport cloth caps in red - the party colour.

We received a lot of benefits when his father was chief minister"

Isa Kalim Weaver

Soon, a bright red bus, escorted by a couple of dozen young men on
bikes, comes into view and the crowd gets into a frenzy.

"Long live Akhilesh bhaiyya [brother]," they chant.

The bus comes to a halt in the middle of the road and Mr Yadav is
hoisted onto the roof on a mechanical lift.

The member of parliament is the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav - a former
wrestler who served three times as the chief minister of Uttar
Pradesh.

He is the star campaigner for the Samajwadi Party and the reception he
gets here befits a rockstar.

His flag-waving supporters surround the bus and throw rose petals at
him. They call out his name and raise their hands to touch him.

Many in the crowd take his photo on their mobile phone cameras.

Mr Yadav appears at ease with the adulation, bending forward to catch
the marigold garlands flung at him from below. He knows nearly all the
party workers by name and invites a few of them to stand on the bus
with him.
'Love people'

His speech is short and lively. He uses humour while listing the
failures of the Mayawati government. He pokes fun at her for spending
billions of rupees on building parks to Dalit icons and erecting their
statues.

"Some people love stone statues, but we love people," he says to loud
claps and cheers.
Samajwadi Party supporters at a rally More than 40 million voters in
Uttar Pradesh are below the age of 30

He talks about what his party will do if elected: "We will give
laptops to students who finish class 12 and tablets to those who
complete class 10." His young supporters cheer wildly.

In a country where age is regarded as a sign of wisdom and where most
politicians are in their 70s and 80s, Mr Yadav at 38 is rather young.

But he is not new to politics. First elected to parliament in 2000, he
is serving his third term as MP.

"Two years ago, he took over as the party president and has been
leading the effort to win back power in the state," says Lucknow-based
journalist Sanjay Bhatnagar.

"He is spontaneous, he has a presence, he has his own ideas. His
father opposed English for being a language of the elite and computers
for taking away jobs of poor people.

"But he's a contemporary and educated person. He has contributed a
youth flavour to the party manifesto by talking about English and
laptops for students."

It's a clever strategy in a state where 40 million voters are below
the age of 30.

Mr Bhatnagar says Mr Yadav is being projected as the next leader by
the party: "Yadav senior is getting on in years and his health
problems are well-known. If the party wins, Akhilesh will be the
obvious choice as chief minister."
Litmus test

Comparisons are also being made with Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the
Nehru-Gandhi dynasty who is leading India's ruling Congress party's
revival bid in the crucial state elections.
Graphic

These elections are being seen as a litmus test of their leadership.

Mr Bhatnagar says: "Comparisons with Rahul Gandhi are natural. But
Rahul is a national figure, whereas Akhilesh is purely a state leader.

"Rahul is a crowd puller but he is an outsider here. He has an urban
image whereas Akhilesh has a more rural image which in Uttar Pradesh
is an advantage."

For Mr Yadav though, his main adversary is Ms Mayawati and her Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP).

Since September, when the election campaign went into top gear, he has
covered a lot of miles.

"I have travelled 8,000km (4,970 miles) by road and visited more than
250 of the 403 constituencies," he tells the BBC.

Now in the thick of the campaign, he is always on the move. He covers
four to five constituencies a day, hopping from one meeting to another
in a helicopter.

He offers me a seat in his helicopter during his tour of Ambedkar
Nagar - a stronghold of the BSP which won all five seats in the
district in the 2007 assembly elections.

We visit four constituencies and at each one he is welcomed by
thousands of flag-waving, slogan-shouting supporters.

And his speeches are tailored to address local issues.
'Fed up'

In Jalalpur constituency, he talks about inflation, the problems of
farmers and the lack of development: "The government took away all the
funds meant for building hospitals and schools for you and spent it on
statues."

In Tanda, a town dominated by Muslim weavers, he tells a huge rally:
"We will give free electricity to weavers if we are elected."
Samajwadi Party supporters at a rally Mr Yadav's rallies have been well attended

Isa Kalim is sold on the promise: "We received a lot of benefits when
his father was chief minister. He gave us power at 65 rupees ($1.32;
84 pence) per loom. If they make it free, that will benefit us
further."

Later, as we head back to Lucknow, Mr Yadav says: "The people are fed
up of bad governance, they want a change."

He is confident his party will return to power. "The government is
facing a strong anti-incumbency and that will help us. We will win,"
he says.

But, analysts say, it's easier said than done. The biggest challenge
the party is facing is a negative public perception.

Their earlier stints in power were associated with a surge in gang
violence when thugs threatened shopkeepers and harassed women.

"During Mulayam Singh's rule, chain snatchings, thefts were common,
people had to pay protection money to goons," says journalist Ashwini
Bhatnagar.

"Serious atrocities were committed against Dalits and other low-caste
people and memories of those years are very strong in [the] public
mind and people fear that petty crimes will go up if the party wins."

It is a perception Mr Yadav is fighting to change.

"We will not shelter or harbour ruffians," he has said. And last
month, he stalled controversial politician DP Yadav's attempt to join
the Samajwadi party.

But critics point out that many of his party candidates have criminal
records and some of them are contesting from inside the jail.

They say that if the Samajwadi Party is elected, it will be back to
the old days of muscle-power ruling the state.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati daughter of daulat not Dalit: Digvijay Singh

2012-02-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_mayawati-daughter-of-daulat-not-dalit-digvijay-singh_1650185

Mayawati daughter of daulat not Dalit: Digvijay Singh
Published: Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012, 20:12 IST
Place: Mainpuri | Agency: PTI

Terming the BJP as a "communal" party, Congress leader Digvijay Singh
on Tuesday alleged that its only agenda is to "spread hatred" and
deceive people in the name of Ram temple for political gains.

"BJP is a communal party, which is deceiving people in the name of Ram
temple. It's only agenda is to spread hatred in the community for
political gains," Singh said while addressing election meetings in
Mainpuri.

Referring to the expelled BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha's
association with the BJP, Singh said that this shows the real
character of BJP.

Attacking SP and BSP, he said that while SP was a party of a family,
BSP chief has become "Daulat ki beti" (Daughter of money) in place of
"Dalit ki beti" (Dalit's daughter).

He also alleged that Mayawati was involved in NRHM scam in which
Kushwaha is an accused.

Appealing people to vote for Congress, he said that only his party
could ensure all round development of the state.

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[ZESTCaste] Sena-BJP should apologise to Dalits: Cong MP

2012-02-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Sena-BJP-should-apologise-to-Dalits-Cong-MP/Article1-811591.aspx

Sena-BJP should apologise to Dalits: Cong MP
HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, February 15, 2012

The Congress wants the saffron alliance to tender an apology for the
death of 10 dalits in police firing at Ghatkopar's Ramabai Nagar in
1997, when the Sena-BJP was ruling the state government. Eknath
Gaikwad, Member of Parliament (Congress), on Tuesday, demanded that
Shiv Sena chief Bal
Thackeray, his son Uddhav and BJP leader Gopinath Munde, the then
state home minister, tender an unconditional apology to the dalits for
killing their brethren in Ghatkopar. "The Sena-BJP has no moral right
to seek Dalit votes after killing them. Thackeray and Munde must
apologise for the merciless killing," said Gaikwad.

The police had, on July 11, 1997, ordered firing on a dalit mob
staging a violent agitation following desecration of Dr Babsaheb
Ambedkar's statue at Ramabai Nagar. Ten people were killed in the
firing. Munde had justified the firing saying that the mob was about
to torch a tanker parked on the road. Rubbishing the theory, a
committee headed by justice SD Gundewar had indicted a state reserve
police officer, Manohar Kadam, for indiscriminate and needless firing.
Kadam was later sentenced to life imprisonment, which has been stayed
by the high court. Last year, the sessions court acquitted eight
people from the mob charged for rioting.

For Dalit community –18-20% of city's population -- the issue is close
to their hearts. The Congress has now raked up the issue at a time
when the Sena-BJP alliance is trying to woo Dalit voters to retain
their hold over the BMC.

In a bid to shed their anti-Dalit image, the Sena has even forged an
alliance with Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India.

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[ZESTCaste] Caste Hindus, Dalits stride towards peace

2012-02-14T21:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2893744.ece

MADURAI, February 15, 2012
Caste Hindus, Dalits stride towards peace
Staff Reporter

Representatives of both sides have approached police for withdrawal of cases

In a significant move, the caste Hindus and Dalits of Uthapuram
village, who fought over the 'wall of untouchability', have taken the
next step forward to sinking their long-drawn enmity and embrace
peace.

Representatives of both sides on Tuesday jointly met Deputy Inspector
General of Police (Madurai), B. Bala Naga Devi, and Superintendent of
Police, Asra Garg, for the withdrawal of cases registered against the
people of both sides.

Some 30 cases are pending against both sides since 2005, the DIG told
reporters. They include cases for attempt to murder, those under the
Explosives Act and Prevention of Atrocities (Scheduled Caste and
Scheduled Tribes) Act.

"We will follow due procedures of law to withdraw all the cases."

This is the second major step both sides have taken to bring about
peace after the caste Hindus allowed Dalits to enter the Muthalamman
temple in the presence of Mr. Garg on November 10 last year.

"This is part of the peace agreement reached by both parties on
October 20, 2011," Mr. Garg said. Vishwa Hindu Parishad functionary
Chinmaya Somasundaram, who, along with former Aavin General Manager K.
Athimoolam brokered the peace, said that people of both sides had
suffered a lot socially and economically ever since the fresh bout of
tension in the village near Usilampatti in recent years.

The 'wall of untouchability' on a common pathway dividing the Dalits
from caste Hindus was demolished by the district administration in
2008. "We (caste Hindus) are ready to allow people of all communities
into our temple. This peace process has given the village a new lease
of life," said an auditor and leader of the caste Hindus, B.
Murugesan.

"We (people of both the sides) have realised that we cannot fight each
other forever," Dalit leader K. Ponnaiah said. "Though not all the
people of the caste Hindus were happy about our entry into the temple,
we were, indeed, given a warm welcome by some of them."

Both want the State government to expedite development works such as
the construction of a bus shelter and diversion of sewerage lines that
drain sewage into the Dalit areas.

Asked about the main bone of contention of the Dalits – right to
worship in the temple – Mr. Garg said that the temple was under
construction and soon kumbabhishekam would be performed. "After that
both the parties can enter it." . On allowing the Dalits to use
vehicles on the common pathway, Additional Superintendent of Police A.
Myil Vaganan said that the pathway was being put to maximum use and
was open for Dalits too. "There are some encroachments on it. Once it
is widened, bigger vehicles can be allowed."

Mr. Garg said that the police pickets would stay as a precautionary measure.

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[ZESTCaste] Mulayam plays Muslim, Dalit card to woo voters

2012-02-14T21:19:00.000-08:00

http://zeenews.india.com/state-elections-2012/up/mulayam-plays-muslim-dalit-card-to-woo-voters_758412.html

Mulayam plays Muslim, Dalit card to woo voters
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 17:46

Kannauj/Farukhabad: Trying to woo Muslims and Dalits, SP supremo
Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday promised to pressurise the Centre for
quota to backward Muslims and inclusion of 17 castes in Scheduled
Caste list.

"We will pressurise the Centre for ensuring reservation to Muslims and
if needed an amendment in the law will be made... The party will also
ensure that 17 castes are included in the SC category," Yadav told
election meetings in these districts.

Charging Congress with misleading Muslims in the name of reservation,
Yadav said only his government could help the community in getting
their rights.

In Kannauj, he appealed to the voters to get all party candidates
elected as it was parliamentary constituency of SP state president
Akhilesh Yadav.

He said development work took a backseat during the Mayawati
government, which he dubbed as very corrupt.

PTI

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[ZESTCaste] Amausi massacre: 10 get death sentence

2012-02-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Amausi-massacre-10-get-death-sentence/articleshow/11894516.cms

Amausi massacre: 10 get death sentence
Kashi Prasad & Rajiv Kumar, TNN | Feb 15, 2012, 07.37AM IST
Article

MUNGER/KHAGARIA: The additional district and session judge, Khagaria,
Chandra Bhushan Diwedi, awarded capital punishment to 10 accused in
the infamous Amausi massacre that took place on the intervening night
of October 1-2, 2009, in Khagaria district.

Four other accused were awarded life term in a crowded court room on
Tuesday. In all, 16 persons, including five children -- all residents
of Itcharia village -- were shot dead by a group of dalits of Amausi
Bahiar village under the Morkahi police station.

The accused were convicted by the court on February 8 after they were
found guilty under various Sections of the IPC and Arms Act while 14
other accused were acquitted in absence of evidence on record.

Those who were awarded capital punishment are prime accused Borhan
Sada, Sikander Sada, Sajjan Sada, Tarini Sada, Sunil Sada, Sanatan
Sada, Harilal Sada, Gillo Sada, Puneet Sada and Ram Sada.

All the accused who have been awarded capital punishment and life term
were present in the court room. They were handed over to the police
and sent to jail. In all, 36 persons were framed by police in
connection with the massacre but only 28 were facing trial before the
session court.

According to additional public prosecutor (APP) Rajeev Prasad, 16
persons of Itcharia village which falls under Allauli Panchayat were
tied together, badly assaulted and subsequently shot dead by a mob of
40-50 persons.
An FIR was lodged by police on the statement of paro Singh, a farmer,
wherein he said he was fast asleep with his son, Chandan Singh, when a
mob arrived at the village and caught hold of his son and took him to
Chhotelal Singh's makeshift hut where the assailants collected the 16
other villagers and tied them with rope. They were assaulted black and
blue before they were all shot.

The APP said the massacre was carried out over the possession of some
plots of agriculture land which were cultivated by the slain villagers
over which the accused persons claimed their right.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits torture: SC panel briefed

2012-02-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dalits-torture-sc-panel-briefed/230342-60-117.html

Orissa | Posted on Feb 15, 2012 at 09:18am IST
Dalits torture: SC panel briefed
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa State Scheduled Caste-Scheduled Tribe Youth
and Students' Council has drawn the attention of the National
Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) about the increasing torture of
the dalits in the State.

Council president Haladhar Sethi discussed the matter with NCSC
chairman PL Punia and invited him to visit Kamadhenukot village in
Dhenkanal district where 22 houses of the dalits were burnt after the
first phase of the panchayat polls.

Sethi alleged that dalits were attacked as they did not vote for a
particular candidate in the panchayat polls as a result of which he
lost. He said supporters of the candidate vandalised the houses of
dalits in the village and burnt them down. Over 100 dalits are now
homeless and exposed to more attacks, he said.

�A three-member team of the council, headed by Sethi, visited the
village on Monday and discussed with the tahasildar, the district
welfare officer, the police circle inspector and the district
collector.

The council demanded compensation to the dalit families who have lost
everything because of the attack on them.

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[ZESTCaste] PRCI Conclave: "There is laziness today in PR and journalism"

2012-02-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.campaignindia.in/Article/290326,prci-conclave-there-is-laziness-today-in-pr-and-journalism.aspx

PRCI Conclave: "There is laziness today in PR and journalism"
By Arati Rao on Feb 14, 2012 (1 day ago)

A report from the panel discussion "PR - Interface or Interference" at
the Global PR Conclave 2012, hosted by PRCI

The Public Relations Council Of India (PRCI) hosted a PR Conclave on
13 February, 2012, in Mumbai, where the theme was "PR - Interface or
Interference".

In the panel discussion were TC Ajit, managing partner of Reliance
Staffing Services and former chief executive officer of OgilvyPR in
India, Kumar Ketkar, chief editor, Divya Marathi, and veteran
journalist Ayaz Memon who played moderator.

Starting off the discussion, Ketkar said that both professions,
journalism and public relations, are over-rated and under-rated by the
other. He said, "There is more interface and overlap today. Stories
may unintentionally become 'PR' for a company or brand, even though
they don't outrightly support it. So let media not pretend to be
'holier-than-thou' and let PR not feel guilty."

Memon then posed a question on whether it's as tough to sell a story
these days, and whether journalists are displaying enough curiosity.
Ajit commented that because of the overload of information today, it
is the PR professional's responsibility to sift right from wrong. "We
used to encourage journalists to get the correct picture from other
sources as well," he recalled.

Ketkar said, "Lazy journalism is one problem. Cynical journalism,
where the given copy is entirely destroyed because it is believed that
no company can do anything good, is quite another. Even a journalist
who takes a byline is a brand - he is selling himself and is trying to
expand his market by being cynical. Sometimes, laziness is preferable
of the two."

Ajit said, "We used to give the press release the way the particular
newspaper accepts it, and are responsible to some extent for the
laziness as well."

Ketkar added, "Laziness of PR is also there. They don't know about the
industry, only the company they represent. They also fudge the figures
(for example, adopting percentage figures to show growth, when the
actual numbers aren't impressive). The more the information today, the
more the ignorance that has crept into media."

He stated that according to him, PR is still more of an interface
today, rather than interference.

Memon concluded from the discussion, "With the amount of information
going around, the interface is imperative. But it must be taken with
expertise on both sides."

Earlier in the day, PRCI also handed out Chanakya Awards for Achievers.

Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief, Times Now, was among those honoured at
the function. On the theme, "Interface or Interference", he said, "The
worst thing a PR professional can do is put pressure on a journalist
not to run a story. The suspicions of a good journalist or editor will
instantly be aroused and they will just follow the story more. Respect
the reporter who challenges you. Similarly, a journalist must never
take what is given at face value."

Strongly disapproving of the "paid news" phenomenon, HK Dua, member of
Parliament and former editor-in-chief of The Times Of India, The
Indian Express, Hindustan Times and The Tribune, who was the chief
guest, said in his keynote, "The best of PR and journalism is when the
practitioners enjoy credibility."

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[ZESTCaste] UP polls: Punia sure of Cong win in 45 SC seats

2012-02-14T00:27:00.000-08:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/UP-polls-Punia-sure-of-Cong-win-in-45-SC-seats/articleshow/11880625.cms

UP polls: Punia sure of Cong win in 45 SC seats
TNN | Feb 14, 2012, 05.04AM IST

NEW DELHI: Congress MP P L Punia dismissed talks of being an
"outsider" in Uttar Pradesh, saying he had spent 45 years in the state
and was known in its all corners for his pro-people work as an IAS
officer.

Punia's assertion about his domicile came in the wake of Union
minister and in-house detractor Beni Prasad Verma calling him an
"outsider". Punia is from Haryana but moved base to the state four
decades ago. "People in UP know me. I even got married here, my only
daughter was married there. I have houses in Lucknow and Barabanki. I
contested 2007 assembly polls from Barabanki, lost narrowly, and then
won Lok Sabha polls by over 1.5 lakh votes," he said, presenting his
credentials as a son-of-the-soil.

Verma created a flutter by saying that "Punia was an outsider and had
come from Punjab". The statement just before the first phase of
election exposed the infighting in Congress.

The chairman of National Commission for SCs seems to have attracted
Verma's wrath because of his attempt to stand his own during ticket
distribution. The steel minister managed to sway the nominations in
many constituencies, while Punia apparently failed.

But Punia has his standing as a key anti-Mayawati face in Congress,
having served her as principal secretary thrice besides being a dalit
himself, a fact that has riled many within.

Asserting his USP, Punia said Congress would win 40-45 of 85 reserved
seats, claiming that disenchanted SCs would desert BSP in this
election. "Dalits have decided to shed the tag of being BSP's bonded
labour. They kept waiting for development and welfare for five years
under Mayawati, but only got increased atrocities with government
protection and corruption," he told reporters.

Punia, along with party MP Ashok Tanwar, are in-charge of Mission 85,
a campaign plan for the reserved seats. The
bureaucrat-turned-politician asserted that the EC decision to drape
statues and elephants would not impact the dalit mood against BSP.
"Ambedkar did not have elephant as symbol, nor was he enamoured of
riding one. Elephant is not related to dalit pride," he said.

He said Mayawati had heaped the biggest insult on dalit pride by
replacing Ambedkar statue to install her own in Lucknow. "That day BSP
brought down its tally below 100 seats," he said.

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[ZESTCaste] Pipili rape: Governor upset over SCW report, seeks fresh probe

2012-02-14T00:26:00.000-08:00

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Pipili-rape-Governor-upset-over-SCW-report-seeks-fresh-probe/articleshow/11881255.cms

Pipili rape: Governor upset over SCW report, seeks fresh probe
Rajaram Satapathy, TNN | Feb 14, 2012, 06.28AM IST

BHUBANESWAR: Governor M C Bhandare is reportedly upset over the recent
controversial report prepared by the State Commission for Women (SCW)
chairperson on the Pipili incident involving a 19-year-old Dalit girl,
who is now battling her life in a comatose state at the SCB Medical
College and hospital, Cuttack. The governor asked the commission to
study the issue further and prepare a fresh report, informed sources
said.

The governor, who visited the victim at the SCB, had a meeting with
the commission chairperson Jyoti Panigrahi on Saturday on the Pipili
issue, attended by legal officer and other key officials. The meeting
discussed Panigrahi's report, which has since invited severe criticism
from many quarters with allegations that even while the crime branch
is investigating the matter she submitted the report without doing
sufficient homework and field visit, ostensibly as a face saver for
the government. Though Panigrahi later denied the charge saying that
she only placed the contents in the complaints, few have bought her
story.

When contacted, the SCW chairperson admitted to meeting the governor,
but declined to divulge details. "The meeting discussed women-related
issues including the incident that took place near Pipili," Panigrahi
said. She parried queries on whether or not the governor asked her to
study the incident further and prepare another report. "As chairperson
of the commission I can send reports to appropriate authority from
time to time," she said.

Panigrahi invited protests by opposition parties and various women's
organizations after she submitted her report to the chief minister on
February 1, in which she recommended strong action against doctors
both at the Capital hospital and SCB for neglecting the treatment of
the girl, but remained silent about action against police, which
repeatedly refused to accept complaints from the girl's family and
allegedly tried to hush up the matter reportedly under pressure from
ruling BJD leaders.

Police registered cases under different sections of IPC, including 376
(rape) on January 9 at 7 pm after hurriedly obtaining a complaint from
the girl's family at the Capital hospital here, only after the state
human rights commission took up the case. The complaint highlighted
how she was earlier taken to the SCB, but was treated like a 'dog' and
released under pressure from politicians. The complaint also alleged
that the women's commission 'despite knowing everything took no
tangible action'.

The November 29 incident, in which miscreants allegedly attempted to
gang rape the girl and strangulate her to death at a field near her
house, about 5 kms from Pipili, has since wreaked havoc in the state,
leading to resignation of the local MLA and minister Pradip Maharathy,
transfer of Puri SP and dismissal of Pipili police station inspector.

Member secretary of National Commission for Women (NCW) and senior
functionaries from the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC)
visited SCB and the victim girl's village to investigate into the
case. Sources said D Basak, director of NCSC has submitted a six-page
report to the commission on the issue.

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[ZESTCaste] Uma flays BSP, SP for playing with Dalits, backwards class

2012-02-14T00:25:00.001-08:00

http://post.jagran.com/uma-flays-bsp-sp-for-playing-with-dalits-backwards-class-1329125561

Uma flays BSP, SP for playing with Dalits, backwards class

Posted on: 13 Feb 2012, 04:16 PM

Pratapgarh: Taking a potshot on the BSP and SP for playing up with
weaker section of society, BJP firebrand Uma Bharti during a public
meeting at Kodur on Sunday assured backward class and Dalits of
providing them their rights.

The Congress and Samajwadi Party play Dalit card during polls and
leave their promises unfulfilled after voting, she said and added that
the BJP will help them get their due rights.

Uma said, "The opponents are spreading rumours that the BJP is heading
for an alliance with BSP to form the government in the state, but it
is absolutely rubbish, the party is fighting the elections on its own
and will form its own government. Even if the BJP does not make it,
the party will sit in the Opposition but never make alliance."

Present on the dais for few minutes, Uma mocked Sonia Gandhi's
shedding tears while seeing the Batla House encounter pictures and
also criticized Khurshid.

Attacking Digvijay Singh she said, "The Congress was defeated in
Madhya Pradesh and it will meet the same fate in Uttar Pradesh."

(Agencies)

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[ZESTCaste] Stone hub for Maya statues no more in the pink

2012-02-14T00:25:00.000-08:00

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/stone-hub-for-maya-statues-no-more-in-the-pink/911810/

Stone hub for Maya statues no more in the pink

Prashant Pandey Posted online: Tue Feb 14 2012, 03:23 hrs
AHRAURA (MIRZAPUR) : On good days, Raja Ram (45), a Dalit of Patti
Kala village, earns Rs 70. A couple of years ago, however, he made Rs
400 to Rs 500 every day. That was the time when Ahraura, located in
the newly constituted Marihan Assembly constituency in Mirzapur, was
the hub for extracting pink sandstone from the hills for use in the
memorials and parks that the Mayawati government was building in
Lucknow.

The colossal projects, worth thousands of crores, were Chief Minister
Mayawati's "symbols of Dalit pride and dignity''. When rivals accused
her of wasting public money on her whims, Mayawati said her projects
had given a better life to the people in Mirzapur from where the stone
was coming.

Now, when the memorials have been built and the demand for pink
sandstone has slumped, Ahraura has fallen back on hard times. "There
is nothing happening here now; now we sell slabs used in roofs," says
Piyush Srivastava, who runs a stone cutting plant. Srivastava is
reluctant to share how much money he made in "those days'', but
accepts there were people who did not have a two-wheeler but now owned
Tata Safaris. Many built new houses.

Marihan, which was known as Rajgarh before the delimitation, is a
Patel-dominated constituency with Mauryas forming the second biggest
chunk of voters. Dalits are present in varying numbers across 30 to 40
villages around Ahraura. While Patels and Mauryas are generally labour
contractors, Harijans and Musahars work in the hills, breaking stones.

Post-delimitation, many Maurya-dominated areas, like Madhupur, have
gone to Ghorawal assembly constituency in Sonbhadra. The sitting BSP
MLA Anil Kumar Maurya, who won twice from Rajgarh, is now contesting
from there. "He set up a stone cutting plant in Sonepur, and never
bothered about our problems,'' said Awadhesh Singh, a farmer.

But the Dalits aren't bothered. "We have been voting for the BSP for
the last four elections, things are not going to change this time,"
says Suddhu Ram, one of the few to have survived beyond 60 in a
village where an adult man either suffers from TB or is extremely
vulnerable to the disease.

Constant exposure to dust since childhood, when they begin breaking
stones, has made TB an occupational hazard. The government has so far
done nothing to enforce labour safety laws and rules for those who cut
stones. Nor has any facility been created for the treatment of the
ailing.

With the boom gone and the money spent in clearing debts amongst other
things, people in Mirzapur are again hand-to-mouth, a few newly built
houses notwithstanding. The village has no road, no source of water,
no electricity, not even a dispensary. "The one thing that happened in
her (Mayawati's) regime is that we could live with pride," said Vijay
Kumar, a Dalit.

Kripa Shankar, also of Patti Kala village, says: "In the last five
years, nobody has troubled us. Neither the police, nor anybody else.
When Mayawati's work was on, we used to get money regularly, which was
not the case earlier."

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Patels had voted for Bal Kumar
Patel, SP MP from Mirzapur, but many now seem disillusioned. "Like
Maurya, who is from Varanasi, Bal Kumar is from Banda and took little
interest in the area'', said Awadhesh Singh.

There is some nostalgia for the Congress. Mishri Lal Patel of Saraiyan
village said: "Whatever development took place here, it was during the
Congress days. After that, no one did anything''. He recalled that as
Rajgarh MLA in 1996, Lokpati Tripathi, the grandfather of Congreess
nominee Laliteshpati Tripathi, was instrumental in setting up a canal
system in Ahraura, Jargo and Dongia check dams for irrigation. But the
system has been poorly maintained and there has been no expansion.

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[ZESTCaste] Dalits allege denial of water by upper castes

2012-02-14T00:24:00.000-08:00

http://www.sify.com/news/Dalits-allege-denial-of-water-by-upper-castes-news-National-mcnr4jbgjhg.html

Dalits allege denial of water by upper castes
Source IANS
Last Updated: Mon, Feb 13, 2012 17:30 hrs

Ranchi, Feb 13 (IANS) Dalits of a Jharkhand village allege that they
have been denied water from handpumps and entry into a community hall
by upper castes in Chatra district.

People from Dalit community in Aamdiha village of Chatra district,
which is around 160 km from Ranchi, allege they have not been allowed
to fetch water from handpumps or entry into a community building of
the village.

What is curious is that the handpumps and the community hall belong to
the state government.

"We are not allowed by upper caste men to fetch water from the
handpumps. The community building has also been locked and we are not
allowed to enter in the building," said Champu Ram to a local news
channel.

Echoing his view, another villager, Suresh Ram said: "For a long time
we have been discriminated against by the upper caste men. We have
submitted a memorandum to the district officials requesting suitable
measures so that we can fetch water and enter the community building."

Ads by Google

The Chatra district officials have assured they will look into the matter.

"We will look into the issue and suitable action will be taken based
on the facts," an official told IANS over telephone.

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[ZESTCaste] Emotional appeals not enough to win over Dalits: Prakash Ambedkar

2012-02-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/interview_emotional-appeals-not-enough-to-win-over-dalits-prakash-ambedkar_1649800

Emotional appeals not enough to win over Dalits: Prakash Ambedkar
Published: Tuesday, Feb 14, 2012, 8:00 IST
By Shubhangi Khapre | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar says mainstream
parties have always tried to win over Dalits with emotions. The
grandson of BR Ambedkar tells Shubhangi Khapre that this will not work
anymore. Excerpts from the interview:

How do you look at Dalit politics ahead of the polls?
The so-called grand alliance of the Shiv Sena-BJP-RPI may not result
in transfer of Dalit votes to the saffron brigade. This is evident as
RPI(A) chief Ramdas Athawale is the lone campaigner in the Dalit
pockets. The second-rung leaders associated with Dalit organisations
are distancing themselves from the grand alliance. Similarly,
Congress-NCP's attempt to rake emotive issues like the Indu Mill land
for Chaityabhoomi will not work.

Why did you refuse an alliance with Congress-NCP?
There were sharp differences between us on several development issues
which could not be resolved. So we decided to field just 42 seats
where we feel we can make a difference. We concentrated in the
Vidarbha region in the zilla parishad and municipal corporation
elections.

Will the MNS hold the key to form the BMC?
No. In 40 seats which are MNS strongholds, there are two to three
rebels in the fray. Congress leader Kripashankar Singh is facing
challenges from supporters of senior leader such as Gurudas Kamat,
Priya Dutt (MP) and Sanjay Nirupam (MP). Moreover, the Congress and
the NCP are at loggerheads over several seats. There is also a power
tussle within the NCP between Ajit Pawar versus Chhagan Bhujbal-backed
candidates in the field.

What is now needed for the city's development?
Primarily, there is no land available for construction in the city.
The only way ahead is through redevelopment of slums that provide
additional space for commercial and social welfare projects. I believe
slum redevelopment should be undertaken by Mhada which can allocate
houses of 400-450 sqft instead of 280-300 sqft. The government's
decision to rope in private players is against public interest. If we
consider redevelopment of all the slums identified through Mhada, it
will generate revenue of Rs50,000 crore. After accommodating legal
residents, the additional space could be auctioned for commercial
utility by the government to earn revenue.

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[ZESTCaste] Mayawati’s legacy in stone: Symbolism that does not wash

2012-02-13T22:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/mayas-legacy-in-stone-symbolism-that-does-not-wash-211554.html

Mayawati's legacy in stone: Symbolism that does not wash

Akshaya Mishra Feb 13, 2012

Lucknow: Mayawati has carved her legacy in stone. Two centuries from
now, any tourist to Lucknow would stand mesmerised at the beauty and
grandeur of the Ambedkar Memorial and Manyawar Kashiram Ji Smarak
Sthal, saluting in silence the aesthetic vision of the ruler who made
such works possible. He would not hesitate to equate these with other
medieval architectural marvels in the state, which include Shah
Jahan's elegy in stone, Taj Mahal.

Right now, not many in Lucknow are impressed. In fact, many have
developed a healthy distaste for stones, particularly red sand stone
and marbles. Red sand stone, quarried in Chunnar and sent for
finishing touches to Rajasthan before being transported to Lucknow,
has been used in profusion in making statues in both the memorials.
Certain statues have been carved out of marble.

"Sab fizul ka kharcha hai saab. Pata nahin patthar ke pichhe itna
paisa kyun dal rahe hai (All this is unnecessary expenditure. God
knows why she is spending so much on stones)," says a bystander at the
gate of the Ambedkar Park. "Mayawati ke raj mein sirf patthar hi
patthar sab kuch hai (Everything in Mawati's regime is about stones),
says another, clearly disinterested in the stunning visual around. In
Lucknow, you don't find many who appreciate the extravaganza in red
sand stone.
Ambedkar Memorial

Lucknow can ill-afford to waste prime real estate – the sprawling
Ambedkar Park is spread over an area of around 120 acres and the
Kanshiram Smarak around 85 acres – in fanciful notions of glory.
Sajjad Hussain/AFP

You tend to agree with them. Symbolism and substance are totally
mismatched in Mayawati's dream projects — these don't even go with the
character of Lucknow. In this election, voters here would certainly
draw up the contrast between their reality and her grand ideas. They
would give a deep thought to whether the great Moghul of the modern
times fits in to their expectations.

Their reality is grim indeed. Lucknow does not give you the feel of a
vibrant, upwardly mobile city, certainly not the capital city of a
state that can afford to spend on Rs 2000-crore upwards to preserve
the memory of Dalit icons, or any icon for that matter. The city can
ill-afford to waste prime real estate – the sprawling Ambedkar Park is
spread over an area of around 120 acres and the Kanshiram Smarak
around 85 acres – in fanciful notions of glory.

UP, for the records is one of the worst performing states in the
country on several economic and human index parameters. Poorvanchal
and the Bundelkhand areas wallow in abject poverty. The industry
scenario is bleak with political instability dogging the state. Its
record in crime and corruption is dismal too. But it has the richest
chief minister – her personal assets, in her own submission before the
election commission, are worth Rs 87 crore – in the country. This is
where the contrast between the symbol and the substance kicks in.

People here are not against symbolism per se. But they are irked at
the extravagance associated with it. "Kanshiram aur Ambedkar thik hai
par yeh log aise paisa udate kya? Wo bhi is statue ke upar. Mayawati
khudko UP ki maharani sochti hai (Kanshiram and Ambedkar are alright
but would they spend money like this? Mayawati thinks she is the
maharani of UP) says a local resident. The cost of the Ambedkar
Memorial is pegged at more than Rs 3,000 crore while Kanshiram Smarak
is likely to cross Rs 500 crore-mark easily. We have not taken into
account other projects driven by the Dalit agenda yet. The combined
worth of all these could go well over a thousand crore.

What does Mayawati want to convey through the parks and memorials?
Well, if she wants to convey that the Dalits have arrived, she is not
sending the message in the right way. Dalits have tasted power and
social dignity hitherto denied to them historically under her. But her
biggest success as a leader would be if she manages to integrate them
into the social mainstream. That has not happened as yet.

She has managed to transform what was supposed to be a social movement
in the vision of Ambedkar and later Kanshiram to a political
statement. If her insistence on symbols means anything, it has to be
that Dalits are a political force now, nothing more than that.

Two hundred years from now, parks and monuments would put her on an
equal footing with the Moghul monarchs and perhaps the British
viceroys who built monuments to convey the power of the Empire, but
the present would it difficult to forgive her extravagance.

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[ZESTCaste] Centre, State must introduce Bill for SCs - Krishna Madiga

2012-02-13T22:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8meTg9W19o

Centre, State must introduce Bill for SCs - Krishna Madiga -

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[ZESTCaste] Dalit groom seeks police protection to ride mare

2012-02-13T03:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.ummid.com/news/2012/February/11.02.2012/dalit_groom_seeks_protection.htm

Dalit groom seeks police protection to ride mare

Saturday February 11, 2012 05:54:57 PM, IANS

Jaipur: A Dalit bridegroom in a Rajasthan village had to seek police
protection to ride a mare as part of his marriage rituals following
opposition from upper caste residents, police said Saturday.

Police said the villagers had threatened to harm the youth and his
family members if he passed by their houses mounted on a horse on his
wedding eve Friday.

The incident took place in a village near Saradhana town in Ajmer
district, some 150 km from Jaipur.

"On his wedding eve on Friday, the groom, Himmat Singh, was to go to
the temples in the evening mounted on a mare to seek god's blessings.
The tradition is called 'nikasi'," a police officer told IANS.

As soon as the upper caste villagers came to know that a Dalit youth
was to pass by their house riding on a mare, they started gathering
near Singh's house.

"A tiff between the groom's family members and the villagers took
place. The villages said that they would not let the youth mount the
mare as it is allowed only for people belonging to the upper castes.
The family members informed the police following which a team from the
nearby police station was rushed to the spot," said the officer.

The youth and his family members completed the ritual under police protection.

Police force has been deployed in the village to maintain law and order.

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[ZESTCaste] Ambedkar statue desecrated at Tadepalligudem

2012-02-13T03:12:00.001-08:00

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/regions/rajahmundry/ambedkar-statue-desecrated-tadepalligudem-284

Ambedkar statue desecrated at Tadepalligudem

February 12, 2012
By DC Correspondent
TADEPALLIGUDEM

Some Dalits noticed the desecration of the statue near the circle
police station in the early hours and staged a dharna and rasta roko,
leading to tension in the area. They demanded the arrest of the
culprits.

A posse of police personnel was rushed to the area to avoid any
untoward incidents. Several commercial establishments were closed in
protest.

A police dog squad was pressed in to service. Fingerprint experts
collected samples on the statue.

The West Godavari district in-charge joint collector, Mr M.V.
Seshagiri Babu, the additional superintendent of police, Mr V.N.V.
Satyanarayana and the local MLA, Mr Eeli Nani, rushed to the spot and
held parleys with the agitating Dalit leaders and activists.

The additional SP, Mr Satyanarayana, ordered an inquiry into the
incident, assured efforts to nab the culprits and appealed to the
Dalits and the general public to remain calm. Mr Nani assured the
Dalits that a bronze statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar would be installed at
the same centre by April 1 to mark his birth anniversary.

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[ZESTCaste] BSP’s Dalit vote bank sees split in Speaker’s seat

2012-02-13T03:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bsps-dalit-vote-bank-sees-split-in-speakers-seat/911121/

BSP's Dalit vote bank sees split in Speaker's seat

Sanjay Singh Posted online: Sun Feb 12 2012, 03:03 hrs
Bhado(Azamgarh) : For the first time in the last two decades, Bhado
village — a part of Azamgarh's Deedarganj Assembly seat where Assembly
Speaker Sukhdev Rajbhar is the BSP candidate — witnessed cracks in the
BSP's Dalit vote bank on polling day today.

A section of Dalit voters in this village were unhappy with Sukhdeo
Rajbhar's candidature from Deedaraganj. Their allegation against
Rajbhar was that he had not ensured the transfer of his caste members
for Hiralal Gautam, the then BSP nominee from the erstwhile Saraimeer
(reserved constituency) in the 2007 Assembly polls. Gautam, who lost
the last elections, is now the BSP candidate from Lalganj (reserved
seat).

Sukhdeo has been shifted to Deedarganj, which has come into existence
in place of erstwhile Saraimeer seat. His present seat - Lalganj - has
become a reserved seat after delimitation.

"I have never seen division in Dalit votes in this village in the last
two decades. This time Dalits even voted for the Ulema Council
candidate Bhupendra Singh alias Munna," said 60-year-old villager
Ramdhani. Another villager Ram Chandra Rajbhar also confirmed the
division in the Rajbhar votes. A section of Rajbhar voters made their
choice in the Bhartiya Samaj Party candidate Sushila Rajbhar.
"Bhartiya Samaj Party has been working to bag Rajbhar votes since the
results of 2007 Assembly elections. This party's candidate had got
more than 10,000 votes in the last Assembly elections," Ramchandra
said.

The crack in the Dalit votes in Bhado is certainly not a good sign for
Speaker Rajbhar, who is BSP's most prominent face for this particular
caste in Eastern UP. Rajbhar, who was earlier associated with Akhil
Bhartiya Rajbhar Parishad in early 1980s, was brought to the BSP by
its founder Kanshiram.

Although most of the Dalit voters remained tight-lipped over the
division in BSP's core votes, they did sympathise for the party. "We
have no grievance against the BSP. But we were against Sukhdev
Rajbhar," one Akhilesh Ram said.

According to villagers, Sukhdev Rajbhar had an inkling about the
unhappiness among Dalit voters against him. "It was on his initiative
that the BSP leadership dropped the name of party's old horse
Harishchandra as BSP nominee from the Lalganj seat. Sukhdev ensured a
party ticket to Heera Lal Gautam for Lalganj seat at the last moment,"
a Dalit voter said on condition of anonymity.

While Muslims are in majority in Bhado village, which has over 4,000
voters, Rajbhar and Dalits are present in almost equal numbers.

On the contrary, BSP's decision to deny ticket to Harsihchandra Gautam
has almost backfired in Lalganj Assembly constituency. "The trend of
voting among Dalit voters in both Deedarganj and Lalganj has got
affected by the denial of party ticket to Harishchandra," one local
reporter, whom this reporter met at Varadawan, said. According to him,
Congress candidate Balihari Babu, who is an old horse of BSP, has also
made a dent into the BSP Dalit vote bank.

What is good for the BSP is that majority of voters in Rajbhar's
native village have made their choice in BSP candidate Heera Lal
Gautam. "Sukhdev Rajbhar maintains a good relation with his villagers
at Badgahan," said Hanif Ahemad. "Thoda Bahut hai (There are signs of
slight cracks in the BSP's Dalit vote bank in his village)," he
replied to a question.

Ironically, Sukhdev appeared to be locked in a triangular contest in a
constituency like Deedarganj which has considerable population of
Rajbhar and Dalit voters, besides Muslims.

What kind of beti is Uma? asks Kalyan Singh

Hardoi: Former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Saturday hit out at
Uma Bharti for being with the BJP, saying despite calling herself his
daughter, she was working with a party which was trying to "kill him
politically". "Uma calls herself as my beti (daugther) but it is an
irony that she is working with the BJP, which is trying to kill me
politically", the former Hindutva leader said, addressing an election
meeting here. "What type of daughter is she, who is working against
her father? Whether she wins or gets defeated (in UP elections), BJP
will send her to Madhya Pradesh again", Singh said.

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[ZESTCaste] Install Ambedkar statue

2012-02-13T03:06:00.000-08:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/install-ambedkar-statue/229773-60-114.html

Andhra Pradesh | Posted on Feb 13, 2012 at 11:32am IST
Install Ambedkar statue
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

HYDERABAD: Telangana Jagruti president Kavita has urged speaker
Nadendla Manohar to take steps for installing a statue of BR Ambedkar
on the Assembly premises. She wanted the issue to be discussed at the
Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting on Monday. If no decision is
taken on installation of Ambedkar's statue, she said she would go on a
day's hunger strike on March 4 along with her supporters

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[ZESTCaste] Defeated candidate sets houses of Dalits afire

2012-02-13T03:05:00.000-08:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/defeated-candidate-sets-houses-of-dalits-afire/229855-60-117.html

Orissa | Posted on Feb 13, 2012 at 01:04pm IST
Defeated candidate sets houses of Dalits afire
indianexpress Express News Service , The New Indian Express

CHENKANAL: Tension ran high in Kamadhenukote village under Dhirpatna
gram panchayat, 27 km from here, on Sunday, after houses of some
villagers were gutted. After the counting was done on Saturday
evening, it was revealed that sarpanch candidate Manorama Pradhan had
reportedly defeated her rival Pratap Swain by 24 votes.

�Following this, Pratap with his supporters reached the village on
Sunday morning and allegedly set afire 29 rooms of 19 families, mostly
belonging to Scheduled Caste. Besides, they poisoned the village and
felled some trees. Sources said while many villagers were beaten up by
Pratap's supporters, some villagers had to flee apprehending attack.
Receiving information, a team of revenue, police and administration
officials led by ADM Babaji Charan Das reached the spot.

While four platoons of police force have been deployed in the village,
five complaints have been registered against Pratap who was absconding
till the last reports came in. One person has been detained, said
Manas Gadnayak, IIC of Dhenkanal Sadar police station. The ADM said
that Rs 10,000 each had been released for victim families. Cooked food
will be provided to all the victims for three days.

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[ZESTCaste] Rahul blames Mayawati for plight of women in Uttar Pradesh

2012-02-13T03:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/rahul-blames-mayawati-for-plight-of-women-in-uttar-pradesh/20120212.htm

Rahul blames Mayawati for plight of women in Uttar Pradesh
February 12, 2012 20:12 IST

The Congress general secretary said that the Bahujan Samaj Party,
Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party [ Images ] was responsible
for corruption in the state and flayed them for pilfering funds sent
by the Centre. Sharat Pradhan reports
Click here!

Congress General Secretary and the party's star campaigner Rahul
Gandhi [ Images ] on Sunday blamed Uttar Pradesh [ Images ] Chief
Minister Mayawati [ Images ] for the plight of women in the state.

"Even though this state was ruled by a women chief minister, there was
no one to hear the voice of women," he lamented, while addressing a
pubic rally in Badlapur, while campaigning across parts of eastern UP
where polling is due on February 15 in the current seven-phased UP
state assembly election.

"With a view to ensure participation of women right down to the
grassroots level, the Congress party made it a point to give
reservation to women in panchayats, but that was not being implemented
in the true spirit in this state," he added.

Citing a glaring example of injustice against women in UP, Rahul
claimed, "I was told by an old women how her agricultural land was
forcible acquired for some builders. When the builder demanded
immediate vacation of the plot, the woman went with a complaint to the
local police station. The cops not only refused to intervene but also
went to the extent of setting fire to the standing crop on the poor
woman's land."

While pointing out that he was not there to make promises like other
political parties, he said, "When one has clear intentions he need not
make promises. I have not come here to make promises but to take UP on
the path of change and I am sure that we will win this battle."

He said, "Ask BSP supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam
Singh Yadav [ Images ] whether they cared to visit any village in the
last five years. But when they go about addressing election rallies,
they are busy making tall promises. I would like to know why they
could not do what they are promising now."

Rahul Gandhi cited an example of Mahatma Gandhi's [ Images ] speech in
Hindi to a Tamil speaking audience in Madras. "While watching Mahatma
Gandhi addressing a gathering in Tamil Nadu in Hindi, when a
journalist asked a man whether he was able to understand anything, pat
came the reply – 'true, I do not understand Hindi at all but I am sure
about one thing that whatever Gandhi is saying is right and I have
faith in him'."

Flaying successive non-Congress governments in Uttar Pradesh where
Congress has been out of power for 22 years, he said, "I am committed
to the cause of UP's development and I will not budge from here. Let
me tell you that when I choose to take up something, I do not leave it
halfway."

He went on to add, "Even if only one person form UP stands by me, I
will continue to fight for you because you have been duped for 22
years."

He pointedly blamed the ruling BSP, Samajwadi Party as well as the
Bharatiya Janata Party for neglecting UP and for "not doing anything
to build the future of the state's youth". He also accused all the
three parties for fuelling corruption in the state and flayed them for
"pilfering" funds sent by the Centre for various development tasks.

Later during the day, Rahul addressed another meeting in Zafrabad town
of Jaunpur district and followed by one in Kaushambhi and two meetings
in Allahabad.
Sharat Pradhan in Badlapur

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