By P Arun Pandian
“
India cheers Dalits riding donkeys, but fears Dalits riding horses” – A sad reality that the privileged often reject, ignore or pretend to ignore
Unlike other leaders, why is Ambedkar’s statue caged? Is a question that needs to be answered before starting any debate about Dalits and the policies being framed for them. India’s social division is based on “caste” and not “class”. Sadly, the privileged lot always tries to confine the topic of “Caste discrimination & Dalits” to “Class discrimination & Reservation policies” alone. But it is not as simple an issue to be fabricated as a mere “class conflict”. The interaction with MR. Chandra Bhan Prasad reinforced my line of thought that, “If discrimination was/is on the lines of caste, why should the affirmative action to compensate the injustice be on the lines of class (Economic backwardness)? Shouldn’t social acceptance be the right scale to measure?”
Dalit assertion is a reality, but all conversations start and end at reservations: Amit Ahuja
Dalit assertion is a reality, but all conversations start and end at reservations: Amit Ahuja | India Today Insight
Political scientist Amit Ahuja on his debut, award-winning book on why Dalit social mobilisation does not imply greater support for Dalit political parties
advertisement
UPDATED: December 21, 2020 00:11 IST
People pay tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his death anniversary, Dec. 6, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (Maneesh Agnihotri/2018)
NOTE: This section is dedicated to books. We either publish an in-depth review of a book or an interview with the author. See the previous roundup here.