'Dalit leaders ignoring community interests'
Express News Service
First Published : 03 Mar 2011 04:11:50 AM IST
Last Updated : 03 Mar 2011 09:46:29 AM IST
CHENNAI: The Dalit intelligentsia on Wednesday slammed politicians
from the community for ignoring the basic rights of the scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes.
At a meeting to discuss the 'Current problems of Scheduled castes and
Scheduled Tribes' at the Dr Ambedkar Academy, the intelligentisia,
comprising bureacrats, academicians, social activists and people from
different walks of life, said that even after 63 years of Independence
nothing had changed for the community.
"Now we have political rights as all states have Scheduled Caste MLAs
and MPs. But these MPs are hankering for power and using the community
as a ladder and in the process, they ignore the basic rights of the
community," said former chief secretary of the State and advisor of Dr
Ambedkar Academy Dr A Padmanaban.
"The Dalit parties are bothered more about seat-sharing, but have
hardly voiced for the need to abolish untouchability in the State,"
said Padmanaban, also the former Governor of Mizoram.
Padmanaban also slammed the SC & ST commission for barely
acknowledging letters highlighting the problems of the community.
"The Congress party in their earlier poll manifesto, the Common
Minimum Programme, promised a lot of things for the Dalits, but
nothing has taken shape. Even Chief Minister M Karunanidhi promised a
lot for the community, but nothing has been done," he said.
He also said that assurances by the private sector to provide jobs to
Dalits had seldom been implemented.
He expressed hoped that the recent assurances by former bureaucrat and
FICCI advisor P Murari would be implemented.
Padmanaban was also critical of the committee appointed to study the
panchami land issue.
"They have to submit the report in six months and till now they had
only two sittings. With elections around the corner, I think it is
highly unlikely that they would be able to submit the report by the
given deadline," he added.
Former bureaucrat C Chellappan voiced concern over denial of rights to
Dalit panchayat presidents and the delay in allocation of funds to the
Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar Housing Development Corporation.
S Devadoss, director, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT),
Chennai, and Chellappan also highlighted the need for more hostels for
Dalit students besides doing away with capitation fee for Dalits in
private institutions.
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