http://www.hardnews
When Rahul came knocking
For dalits of Semra village, Rahul Gandhi's visit was like manna from
heaven. It forced government officials to fast track development work
Pradeep Kapoor Semra (UP)
A fairytale is unfolding in a non-descript village of Semra in Uttar
Pradesh. On January 14, 2009, the hopelessly poor dalit residents of
this village, 30 km from Amethi, were visited by farishtas (angels).
They seemed to have dropped some magic dust on a village that had not
seen any development.
They were no ordinary farishtas of the kind that descend from the
skies. They were Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and British
Foreign Secretary David Milliband, who decided to stay in Semra to
experience the hardships of Indian village life.
Ten months later, change seems to be sweeping this dusty village. A
metal road is being speedily laid. Chotelal, owner of a tea stall on
the road leading to the village, said, "Construction work on the road
has accelerated during the past three months." "Rajiv Gandhi had
flagged off the kuchcha road by using the spade or phawra. Now, his
son Rahul is turning it into a metal road through Pradhan Mantri Gram
Sadak Yojana."
A huge neon-sign board has been set up. It flashes description of the
road.Electricity poles, too, have been erected along the road to bring
power to the villagers of Semra. The manifest change is visible in the
life of dalit widow, Shiv Kumari. It was in her house that Rahul and
Milliband spent a night. An excited Shiv Kumari opened the door for
this correspondent to show with pride the room where her bhaiyya Rahul
Gandhi and Milliband had spent the night on two cots and ate the food
she had cooked.
Wiping the tears that welled up in her eyes, Shiv Kumari remembered
how patiently the young leaders had heard her and the other members of
the self-help group. She had told them about her tragic life - how she
had been widowed a few years ago and how she had to bring up her five
children alone on a measly daily wage of Rs 25 per day. A moved Rahul
had picked up her youngest son, three-year-old Sunil, in his arms and
hugged him.
Rahul had promised help then which came a few months later when an NGO
began building another room in her house. Her father, Ram Kishore, and
brother, Heeralal, both construction workers, are also helping out
Shiv Kumari. She is also getting a widow pension. Even the ration for
her family has improved after Rahul visited Semra.
Shiv Kumari complained about corruption in the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). She alleged that she received
only Rs 600 of the Rs 1,200 that was due to her. The rest, 50 per cent
of her wages, was held back by the village pradhan. Later, however,
she was told by the pradhan that she would get the entire money and
also that she did not have to work at all.
Another dalit woman, Shivkala, who is also a member of the self-help
group, said that women have begun to assert themselves. The likes of
Pooja Bedi, film actress, are also helping them build their resolve
and confidence. Bedi has assured that the villagers will soon be able
to get interest-free loans to build pucca houses.
Nankau, a dalit youth, said that although Semra has been adopted as an
Ambedkar village, there has been no development. Neither did people
get old-age pension nor did they benefit from any government
programme. Yet, villagers had enthusiastically participated in the
2009 general elections. Voter turnout in Semra was about 68 per cent.
Local political activist and social worker, Jagdish Piyush, has been
working here for the past three decades. He said that Rahul's visit to
the dalit basti in his Lok Sabha constituency has brought them closer
to the Congress. "Now, government officials have been forced to fast
track development work," he said.
Interestingly, Rahul's visit has been welcomed by opposition parties,
too. Senior BJP leader, Kalraj Mishra, told the media that such trips
and close interaction between politicians and dalits should be
encouraged.
Prominent dalit activist and former IG of police, SR Darapuri, told
Hardnews that Rahul was reaching out to those who had never been
looked up by anyone before. "He is doing what Gandhiji did by touring
India to get first-hand information of the ground reality," he said.
Darapuri further said that Rahul was exploiting the dalits neglected
by the complacent BSP supremo Mayawati.
While dalits in UP are happy with Rahul's periodic visit to their
houses, there is a growing rage against copy cat visits by various
Congress leaders. On Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, the state
unit of the Congress instructed its leaders to follow Rahul's example
and spend the day with the poor and the oppressed.
Congress leaders followed the directive of UPCC president, Rita
Bahuguna. While Bahuguna cooked rotis for the dalits, some MPs and
Union ministers from UP made a mockery of the programme. They took
along with them cooks, guests, mosquito nets, coolers and other luxury
items and the media, too. Branded as "dalit tourism", their conduct
attracted the ire of the party leadership. Both AICC President Sonia
Gandhi and Rahul conveyed their unhappiness about the shoddy manner in
which Gandhi Jayanti was observed by sycophants of the UP Congress.
Minister of State for Petroleum Jitin Prasada was an honourable
exception who lived without fanfare at a dalit house.
NOVEMBER 2009
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