Reacting sharply on the statement of the RSS chief Mohan Bagwat, Paschim Odisha Dalit Suraksha Parishad (WODSP) president Nihal Singh came up with a suggestion to both Bagwat as well as those from higher castes protesting reservation for the SC and ST people.
“Just do the work of the SC people who clean drain and latrines in the cities. Also do the works of the tribals who wander in the forests to eke out their livelihood. And in exchange, assign the jobs to us that you do. And those who criticize reservation, accept this challenge and thereafter we will ask for no reservation,” said Singh while addressing a media conference here. “We people do the work which others can’t do. That’s why we deserve reservation,” Singh demanded.
“We can also perform the rituals in temples better and more efficiently. For that we don’t have to practise for it rather it is also in our blood from the beginning,” Singh said. To justify it, he said that Surdra Muni Sarala Das wrote the Mahabharat. Balmik wrote the Ramayan. And all of them were Sudras, but never Brahmins, Singh boasted.
“Hence, we can also do the works that Brahmins and all other upper castes do. If they exchange works, we from our side will demand to stop reservation,” he reiterated.
After seven decades of Independence, SC and ST people are still languishing under poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and all other negative factors. Due to reservation only, some of them have tasted what development is about. Otherwise, they like rest others would have faced the same condition like major chunk of the undeveloped SC, ST people, Singh said further. “The very aim of democracy is to bring about equality. But without reservation for the SC and ST people, equality will simply become a distant dream. Hence, for the betterment of the society as a whole reservation for the undeveloped one is necessary,” he opined.
“Dr Ambedkar, while drafting the constitution, made the provision for reservation for the backward communities to bring them to mainstream. But has that dream been achieved so far,” he asked.
“Rather these people are used as vote banks for different political parties and hence leading a life of penury. The solution is abolition of the caste system, not reservation,” he suggested.