Udit Raj, BJP MP and chairman of All Indian Confederation of Schedule caste and schedule tribe organizations has asked the dalit employees fighting for the restoration of the facility of reservation in promotion in government jobs to take to the streets of Delhi for realising their demand.
"The battle for reservation in promotion is not to be fought in lucknow. This battle is to be fought in Delhi. Shun the habit of looking towards your MPs and MlAs, mobalise the strength of dalit samaj and fill the streets of Delhi. The political parties are scared of voters and they will bow before you if you have the capacity to demonstrate the united strength of the dalit Samaj and then they will readily agree to pass the RsConstitution (117th amendment) Bill 2013’ from the lok Sabha ’, said the BJP MP while addressing the day long convention of the confederation here on Sunday. The bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha during the UPA-II regime and is pending in lok Sabha.
"Even after seven decades of independence dalits have no representation in any sphere of polity like trade industry, film industry, private university and degree colleges and commercial establishments except some representation in government services and political institutions like assembly and parliament .Before reservation in government service the dalits could not even imagine to be a police constable or a peon. If you want to have your rightful place in the Indian polity then there is no alternative to united concerted struggle’’, asserted the BJP MP from North West Delhi. The BJP MP complained that RsRs I am willing to fight for the Dalit community but dalit samaj is not coming forward to support the cause’’.
"Hardik Patel is neither the MP nor MlA yet demanding reservation for the community he mobalised 5 lakh people in Ahmedabad and the Gujarat government was on its toes. In 2010 the Jats in Moradabad disrupted the rail traffic between Delhi and lucknow for 19 days in facvour of their demands, they too were not led by any elected representatives. Similarly the Gujjars in Rajasthan for several times in the past have blocked the movement of trains between Delhi and Mumbai and Rajasthan government was forced to invite them for talks and concede their demand for reservation, you too should realize and mobalise the strength of the Dalit Samaj instead of all the time blaming the political parties and the leaders like me and Mayawati’’, said the BJP MP. He added RsRs dalit Samaj will also have to shoulder the burden of struggle for their rightful place in the society and everything cannot be left for the MPs and MlAs’’.
"You are fighting for reservation in promotion. The very policy of reservation is under threat from the from the lPG (liberalisation, privatization and globalization) policy of the Indian government. First the sixth pay commission abolished the post of peon which employs most of dalits, second is the policy of employing people on contract in government department and third is the outsourcing the services which is only benefiting the Baniya class’’ said Udit Raj.
Exhorting the dalits to wake up and fight for their rights the BJP MP said RsRs the issue of reservation is like a person borrowing from Bank of Baroda and making the repayment to the State bank of India. When you were required to wake and launch a united struggle for the reservation in promotion them most of you were busy either in religious rituals like RsVaishni Devi Yatra’ and RsDevi jagran’’’.
"Reservation gave you so much, an identity in society, cloths on your body, roof over your head and education to your children and pension to retired officers and employees. Just ask yourself as to what you have given back to your Samaj. Just compare your financial and social position with your father and grandfather, --they never even imagined such luxuries and you openly indulge in extravaganza in marriages of your spouses’’.
Asking the anti reservationist to see reason in the demand of reservation in promotion the BJP MP said RsRs the southern states were first to implement reservation for dalit s and they have surged ahead in all sphere of development be it social or physical parameters. The northern state continues to lag behind in development because reservation in these states was implemented much later and yet sentiments against reservation are still strong in these states. In 1936 following the Poona pact dalits got reservation in political institutions like state legislative councils and in national assembly and in 1943 they got reservation in government services in south India and that region of the country has developed’’.
The comment of the dalit MP from the BJP has drawn sharp reaction from the anti reservationist. Shailendra Dube president of Sarvajan Hitay Samiti taking strong exception to the statement of Udit Raj accused the BJP MP of vitiating the atmosphere by his provocative utterances. He demanded from the BJP to clarify its stand on the issue of reservation in promotion. He warned the Union government of the serious consequences if attempts are made to get the Constitution (117th amendment) bill passed from the lok Sabha.