From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Ramesh Chander, a retired Indian ambassador to many countries, has written an open letter to all political parties on behalf of Dalit voters being wooed in the current Assembly elections in Punjab, UP and three other states that they are no longer interested in the freebies like “daal, atta.”
The Jalandhar-based diplomat has written a lengthy letter to assert that the Dalits now want to have their identity with dignity and respect and their emotional chord is crying for holding their hand.
He identifies two immediate issues of interest and concer to Dalits when all parties are vying to garner their votes. He writes that the Dalits, who are the followers of Guru Ravidas and Babasaheb Ambedkar are upset about the indifference shown by the BJP government at the Centre, noting that both these issues pertain to the real of the Central Government in Delhi.
Ramesh Chander is a Dalit belonging to the Ravidas Panth, a religious sect of the Sikhish, founded in the 14th century.
Both the issues he raised concern the Modi government. The first is the Tughlakabad Guru Ravi Dharamsthan, a historic site desecrated and demolished in 2018 in Delhi to which the majority of Dalits of Punjab are its followeres. It was gifted to Guru Ravidas in the 15-16th century by then ruler Sikander Lodhi. After agitation by his followers, the government agreed to give 400 sq metres of land and rebuild the Dharamasthan in 2019, but Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has demanded Rs 4.33 crore from the followers, saying the allotment of land is for only 30 years on lease. The site is to be rebuilt by Jalandhar-based Dera Sachkhand Ballan, whose head Sant Niranjan Dass is the chairman of the committee formed by the Modi government.
Second issue relates to the birth annversary of Ambedkar on April 14 as the international day of equality, which Dalits wanted the Centre to take up with the United Nations. Ramesh Chander says the matter falls in the preview of the Centre and he hopes that the states will pass a resolution in the newly formed Assemblies to support it as a befitting tribute to Ambedkar and a good gesture to the emotional empowerment of Dalits by way of cultural diplomacy like the international day of non-violence in 2007-08 and international Yoga Day in 2014-15, both sponsored by India.
