Caste and politics is synonymous in India and in that context the Chamar Mahan Sabha, an NGO fighting for the cause of the marginalised communities, including Scheduled Caste, has decided to provide unconditional support to SAD-BJP combine in Punjab.
However, the same NGO which provided their support to the Congress in the last elections, termed the UPA-II as an anti-Dalit party. Paramjit Singh Kainth, president of the Sabha said, “There is a wave of anger in the SC community against the Congress party as it has failed the Scheduled Caste. The Congress has been merely selling dreams to the SC community. Actually the Congress has developed an anti-Dalit character over the years since Independence. The SC community trusted the Congress for far too long, but the party betrayed them.”
The Sabha declared that the Akali-BJP Government had taken many positive steps in implementing various welfare schemes for the SC community and therefore it was decided to give this support. President of the Sabha said Punjab was the only State which had the maximum percentage of SC population. It was a historic step to implement the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan. According to this Plan one-third of the annual budget would be spent on the welfare of the SC community.
Kainth further alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party was actually working as the B-team of the Congress. The AAP actually wanted to do away with the welfares schemes for Dalits under the Constitution, particularly on the reservation issue. The AAP should clarify their stand on this issue. On the other hand, being defensive over yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s alleged anti-Dalit rhetoric recently, the president of the Sabha said, “It is up to the law to decide whether to punish him or not. We will react once allegations are proved against him and not on the basis of mere political bickering.”
He compared the yoga guru with Ashish Nandy and said that the law of the land had failed to punish Nandy for his anti-Dalit comments. It was due to the agitation by the Sabha that case was registered against him but with time all the enthusiasm fizzed out and hence the Congress had no moral right to question people over hurting the sentiment of the Backward Classes. The Sabha is satisfied with the work done by the Akali Dal-BJP Government for the SC community, backwards and farm workers. That’s why the Sabha had decided to support the Akali Dal-BJP combine which is working under the leadership of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, added Kainth.