http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Symbols-arouse-dalit-consciousness/articleshow/10392890.cms
COUNTERVIEW
Symbols arouse dalit consciousness
Jay Kumar | Oct 18, 2011, 12.00AM IST
Friday's inauguration of the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal, a public
park in Noida, by UP chief minister Mayawati is being lamented as a
colossal loss by the Congress and the BJP. The concerns expressed by
them, couched in apparently benevolent terms, are amusing. The two
parties have abjectly failed to rein in corruption in their own
governments, which hurts the poor more. Moreover, they have never
spared the slightest opportunity to indulge in symbolism.
The Congress, in particular, is more hypocritical. Whether it is
roads, streets, parks, social welfare programmes, universities,
stadiums et al, the party has named everything after the Nehru-Gandhi
family in the country. And let's not forget the humongous losses that
the country has suffered in a plethora of scams during the UPA's rule.
The losses incurred in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2G spectrum
allocation scam could have taken care of mega infrastructure
development projects and bankrolled welfare programmes across the
board. Likewise, the BJP has many skeletons in its cupboard. Moreover,
its government in Gujarat hasn't yet furnished details of the
expenditure of chief minister Narendra Modi's three-day sadbhavna
fast, paid for by the state exchequer.
Housing statues of dalit icons like B R Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and
Kanshi Ram, the sthal developed by Mayawati raises dalit consciousness
and pride. If anything, it will be perceived as the community's
challenge to upper caste domination. It's a legitimate move towards
the creation and depiction of an alternate version of history.
The symbolic power of such moves can't be underestimated. And any
attempt to undercut it may backfire electorally. In that sense,
Mayawati is spot on that the park symbolises dalit empowerment.
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