– Vidya Bhushan Rawat
BJP has a large number of OBC leaders. The party actually came back to power on OBC votes but it hit hard on OBCs.
The BJP government’s continuous assault on reservation policies in the higher educational institutions must be exposed and opposed tooth and nail. The current leadership has given clear indication to its brahmanical chums to hit at the heart of these communities and their intellectual leadership that emerge from these institutions. It is important to understand why the government has chosen to create a mess in the Universities and colleges. As the demand for more quota for OBCs according to their representation grows and when the Dalits and OBCs have started coming from outside the quota the crooked brahmanical elite have strike hard.
None should be in doubt that this Hindutva government has come to power to ensure the savarna monopoly. Anna movement was not against corruption but for bringing back the lost Savarna hegemony in politics which got reflected in the form of massive mandate for Narendra Modi. The BJP government knows it well that it is difficult to please every one at the same point of time but more important fact is that RSS knows that given its numbers upper caste hegemony in India are numbered hence attempt are being made to extend it through any mean and stop the growing mobilisation of the OBCs.
BJP has a large number of OBC leaders. The party actually came back to power on OBC votes but it hit hard on OBCs. The recent omission of the OBCs in Uttar Pradesh for the quota in the UP Roadways is an example of how shamelessly the government and its advisers are functioning.
India is at the cross roads when the affirmative action programme to have become bone of contention. BJP and the Hindutva ideology is being spread through TV channels, print media, monopolisation of business empire, control of educational institutions, controlling the armed forces and paramilitary, controlling the Dalal street, monopolising the judicial institutions as well as judiciary and collapse of farming apart from failed land reforms. Above this is the religious institutions with one hundred percept control of the brahmins who ‘guides’ the society and therefore have been actively engaged to divert your attention from the real issues of representations and equal distribution of power to all the segments. While in politics we have some how succeeded to some extent distribution of power proportionately but if this does not happen in other segments which are essential for the survival of democracy in India then I can say here with firmly, the situation will go out of control as political class will become helpless to the uncertainties that it would bring in our life. Look at each of these segments and will realise that the nautanki of political power as the master key get exposed.
The brahmanical forces knows well that politically they will have to leave the space. They can delay the process but can not stop it. Any attempt to subvert it would be asking for anarchy and chaos in the society. Situation will turn grimmer if the political class does not understand it and therefore I am asking all the politicians and intellectuals of the Bahujan Samaj to take up these issues as life and death. Speak up for representation of the Bahujan communities as per their population at all sectors particularly those institutions which are vital for the survival of democracy. India will not have democracy if its diversity is not reflected in the institutions that run our government and other important fillers like media, judiciary, business, education and intellect.
Baba Saheb Ambedkar, EVR Periyar, Joti Ba Phule, all actually developed their own institutions and explained in details the corrupt system and why should we fight against it. Unfortunately political class of the social justice variety have little to offer to our friends fighting at the educational institutions. At least for the time being, it would be good if this political class learn the idea of socialism through the prism of Dr Ambedkar. Periyar, Phule, Bhagat Singh, Narendra Dev and Ram Manohar Lohia. Let them understand it and develop a Bahujan vision on Education, health, welfare state, Land Reform, agriculture, Industrialisation, business, media and judiciary. Unless our political class develop an alternative vision and whole agenda to execute it when come to power, they will never be able to fight against the RSS’s hate filled agenda and diverse ways.
Several years back my dear friend Braj Ranjan Mani wrote an thought provoking book : Debrahmanising the education. In the last four years we have seen brahmanisation of educational institutions and education but the responses from our political class has been lacking. It is not what Periyar would have done or Dr Ambedkar would have said. Am I expecting too much from this political class ? No, I am not asking the political class to philosophise things which is already done by legends of the Bahujan movement. I am just asking them to use the philosophy of all these greats to bring radical changes in our system. At least, unite under one banner, with a clear vision, to fight against the menace of the manuwadi culture which is hell bent to destroy egalitarianism. We dont say our system was just but yes it made some efforts and the BJP is not doing better than the earlier system. The fact is that current government and its advisers are hell bent to destroy the social justice clauses everywhere.
BJP will give ticket to enough number of OBC leaders. It is bound to give ticket to Dalits and adivasis for the reserve seats but what is the cost of it. Will these leaders speak for social justice and against the cultural annihilation that is being done clandestinely under different pretexts. Will these leaders stand up and ask questions which may be uncomfortable.
No, when you go elections, you see these leaders begging for votes. Recently, an OBC leader in Gujarat told me how great Modi ji was and that he is proud of him being from OBC community. I asked him whether Modi ji has done anything for the OBCs and if can give me a few examples of it, then I would be grateful. He had no answer except the same jumlas of Congress vs Modi. I know this happen at many places. It is time to ask questions. It is not the question of giving tickets to a few but the question of proportionate representation of communities at all level particularly those institutions which are important for the health of democracy. Proportionate representation must be reflected in executive, Media, judiciary, education and business.
Let us understand the game plan. For the sake of a tiny minority, the BJP is ready to deny all other communities in India a fair space in power structure. Will the political class respond to these crucial issues and make up its mind of what is it going to offer to the people before going to general elections in 2019 ?
