At the outset, let me
confess that I feel sorry that I could not write after May this year in my blog
because of pre-occupation in my public life in association with Aam Aadmi Party
(AAP). I was an aspirant of the party ticket to contest in the forthcoming elections
from a constituency in Jalandhar. But the party in its own wisdom did not
consider me worthy of such a venture. I am relieved of the hustle and bustle of
electoral politics. I have time to pick up the threads and start writing again
as a novice Blogger on matters of interest and concern.
I wrote on April 22
“Guru Ravidass Memorial at Khuralgarh” and would like to review the situation
in the light of the position on the subject and related matters. I wrote and I
quote:
Quote
All the
major players in the great political game are busy in wooing the dalits to gain
their support and votes. In the process, they are undertaking and employing all
the tricks and tactics not that there is any love lost or they are interested
in improving their position or empowering them as equals but only to befool
them to get their votes. This is the 10th year of the Akali-BJP
government in Punjab, maybe the final year before they are thrown out by the
upcoming political forces like the AAP. What have they done for the dalits?
Dalit icons Guru Ravidassji and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar have suddenly appeared on
their radar. Have they budgeted any definite amount to be spent on the
Khuralgarh project? Have they fixed any timeline to complete the project? Have
they put in place any special outfit to see the execution of the 110 crore
Khuralgarh project? What special programme have they made to celebrate and
observe the 125th birth anniversary of the greatest son of
India, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar? I wrote to the Deputy CM of Punjab on the subject
some months ago but there was not even an acknowledgement. Again
surprisingly, I read a story in the Hindustan Times that MOS Vijay Sampla has
mooted a proposal to make a world class memorial of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at Bootan
Mandi, the so called capital of dalits. I, a humble Bootan Mandian, welcome the
proposal. But I am certain that the proposal will remain a news item
only. I will write on this subject separately.
My dear
dalit brethren, kindly watch out for the emerging scenario and marshal your forces
to safeguard your interests in this great game otherwise you will again be
cheated.
Unquote
The
community has been cheated as expected. There is no news
about the Khuralgarh
project. It seems nothing has happened except some ceremonial inaugurations by
the government Ministers. They may make some false promises in the run up to
elections and nothing more will appear on ground. What the Deras, self
professed and declared followers of Guru Ravidass, are doing? It is anybody’s
guess. I think they are divided to the advantage of the ruling powers. The
ruling powers know that the Big-Wigs of these Deras may be satisfied and
allured by throwing some fringe loaves like providing some visible gunmen, red
or blue light vehicles, escort Jeeps and such humbug. The faithful feel elated and
the matter stops there.
 |
| At Khuralgarh |
Now I
come to the second part, the Ambedkar memorial at Bootan Mandi in Jalandhar,
announced and promised by MOS Vijay Sampla. As expected, it remained a news
item and nothing happened on ground till the last week. The site of the
promised memorial appeared in the news because of other reasons and not because
of the Ambedkar memorial. I quote from the story carried by the Tribune on
October 26.
Quote
Proposed to be a site for setting up a girls college or even
Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial by the SAD-BJP leaders, plots cut in a nearly 4-acre
land of Chara Mandi where the Market Committee intends to set up a vegetable
market went for Rs 10 crore in an auction held yesterday.
The sale of the property has not gone down well with the
Congress leaders of the area.
Congress councillor Pawan Kumar said, “The auction report has
come as a big surprise for the area residents. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir
Badal had promised that the land here would be used for setting up a girls’
college ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections.”
The Congress councillor added, “We had even carried out a
signature campaign from the residents of the area wherein as many as 10,000
people had sought the setting up of a girls’ college here. The area is
inhabited by Dalit population and any such development would have been surely
welcome, but the government went ahead with its interest to generate revenue
out of the site ignoring the demand of the people.”
Even Union MoS Vijay Sampla, in a bid to woo the Dalit
community of the area, had sometime ago announced the setting up of Dr Ambedkar
Memorial at the site.
He had even said that he had held talks with Deputy CM on the
matter and had got approval from Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot.
Unquote
Obviously, the community feels cheated. Where are the leaders
of the area, who are aware of these promised projects, namely Vijay
Let me conclude by bringing in AAP of which I was an active
volunteer till recently. AAP is a new player and is yet to establish its
credentials with the dalit communities, with a huge vote share of more than
32%, in the electoral politics. The party is about to come out with its SC
Manifesto in the coming days. I as a humble member of the party I have been
interacting and communicating with the Punjab Dialogue of the party under
Kanwar Sandhu and Chander Sutta Dogra directly and also through Zonal Observer
for Jalandhar Rajiv Chaudhary on matters of interest and concern to dalit
communities of Punjab. I also submitted a 10 page Non-Paper on the subject in
which my proposals and suggestions to recognize and honour the dalit icons were
included. I am confident, though my communications did not get any formal
acknowledgement from the Punjab Dialogue, that some of my suggestions may find
some mention and may be included in the said SC Manifesto of the AAP. AAP is
said to be a party with a difference. Let us see if they show some desire to
catch up with the expectations of the community.
इक़बाल बड़ा उपदेशक है; मन बातों से मोह लेता है,
गुफ़्तार का तो यह गाज़ी बना; किरदार का गाज़ी बन न सका!
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