By Prarthana Mitra
Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani addressed a rally organised by Dalit groups in Jind, Haryana, on Sunday to emphasise a new direction for the Dalit movement. Mevani reiterated the importance of moving beyond the discourse of atrocities committed against Dalits, and to start a dialogue about their right to basic amenities, like healthcare and education.
A new direction for the Dalit movement
Mevani, who is also known as “the voice of the Dalits in the House”, expressed his solidarity with the Jind rally. The rally marked a culmination of innumerable protests organized by Dalit groups and activists around the country over the past month.
“If we don’t have proper shelters, what will the dignity amount to? We have self-respect, but no land to till,” Mevani said at the rally. “If we have no education and good healthcare, what will we do with our self-respect? The struggle is not just about our self-respect, but existence too.”
He further spoke about the misuse of funds allocated for the Scheduled Cast and Scheduled Tribe communities. Mevani complained these funds never reach the marginalized communities of the Adivasis or Dalits and are instead diverted to building roads and flyovers.
Mevani asserted that Dalits will only be able to overcome years of oppression and prejudice by entering the public and civic sphere and reclaiming their space. To topple the power struggle, Dalits must first unite, contest and participate in mainstream politics. He added he thinks, Dalits have been reduced to being just victims of atrocities and nothing more due to which their right to education, healthcare and livelihood has been ignored for too long.
A shift in leadership
Supported by the Congress, Mevani came to power after his victory in Vadgam in 2017. A young lawyer who is relatively new to the political sphere, he has never shied from calling BJP out for its fascist and communal tendencies. He had further dedicated his victory to the “Una flogging victims — Balu Sarvaiya and family — and Thangadh police firing victims,” promising to ensure that the voice of every marginalized and poor is raised in the Gujarat assembly.
After Sunday’s rally, Mevani attended another Dalit congregation in Ambala with the intent to meet and speak with local Dalit leaders in the Assembly. He also brought the Dalit situation in Haryana to attention, emphasizing the need for Dalits in the region to overthrow the Manohar Lal Khattar government. With this in view, Mevani may be looking at his role in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an independent in opposition to the BJP and its allies. The Dalit Swaraj aims to purge the rampant casteism in the country, and with Mevani’s strong leadership and grassroots work, a revolution might be on the brink.
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