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The incident that took place in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, is one that should make the entire civilised society hang its head in shame. At a time when India has achieved scientific progress to the extent of sending satellites from the Moon to Mars, it is shameful that practices reminiscent of the Manusmriti era- discriminating between one human being and another – are still alive.
Sharath Bachche Gowda
Chairman, KEONICS; Congress MLA, Hosakote
The incident that took place in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, is one that should make the entire civilised society hang its head in shame. At a time when India has achieved scientific progress to the extent of sending satellites from the Moon to Mars, it is shameful that practices reminiscent of the Manusmriti era—discriminating between one human being and another are still alive.
Mallikarjun Kharge is not merely the national president of our party; he is a son of this soil. He was born here, grew up here and rose to great heights in the country. He has stood up and spoken against the Prime Minister in the Lok Sabha, and he has now done so in the Rajya Sabha as well. We must ask whether there are forces in Haldwani that cannot tolerate this.
After learning about the purification ritual that took place there, I was so deeply disturbed that I could not sleep properly for two days. I was distressed by the thought: What kind of society are we living in?
A conspiracy against humanity
The purification was carried out at the Ramlila Maidan after Kharge had left. It was done by an organisation called the Ram Sena Dharmartha Seva Nyas.
Consider the irony. This has happened at a time when a party that speaks of Ram Rajya and has included the construction of the Ram temple in its manifesto is in power. And at the Ramlila Maidan, an organisation bearing Lord Ram’s name has carried out such an act.
Has justice been done to the name of Ram here? Does religion have any value?
These two things simply do not go together. In other words, we say one thing and do another.
If someone made some kind of slogan or declaration at such a gathering, those who know should explain how that could possibly make the entire ground “impure.” This is a problem of mindset. Using such excuses, organisations that seek to keep untouchability alive continue to conspire against humanity.
Where does such a mindset come from?
Our birth is accidental. No one is born after choosing or asking for a particular caste. But the tragedy of India is that a person’s status is determined on the basis of their birth. This is deeply unfortunate.
Dr B.R. Ambedkar experienced such humiliation throughout his life. That is why he wrote a work such as Annihilation of Caste. The fundamental spirit of the Constitution he drafted is also equality.
The Constitution says that there should be no discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, religion or birth. This was also Dr Ambedkar’s warning to those who discriminate on any of these grounds.
When we look at the Haldwani incident, it causes deep pain. There is no difference whatsoever in the colour of the blood that flows through the veins of all of us. Yet, where does this mindset come from—the belief that people should be discriminated against on the basis of their birth?
Take action against those responsible
What kind of society do we want to build? A society that respects a human being simply as another human being? Or a society that believes a place becomes impure merely through the touch of another human being?
Article 17 of the Constitution abolished untouchability. It did not merely abolish untouchability within government offices; it abolished untouchability in all its forms.
According to the Union Government’s Ministry of Social Justice, Article 17 of the Constitution abolishes untouchability in any form. The Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, treats the enforcement of restrictions arising from untouchability as an offence.
Then those responsible for this act in Haldwani should be proceeded against under this law. Only then will we be convinced that the Central Government is sincere about eliminating untouchability.
Because this is not merely a matter of political humiliation. It raises the larger question of whether, when caste prejudice continues at the grassroots, we should allow the Constitution to remain merely a book.
If a national leader can be regarded as “impure” simply because he stood on a particular stage, imagine what it does to the mind of a poor Dalit worker, student, farmer or labourer when he is directly or indirectly told: Your touch, your presence or your identity itself makes a place impure.
Who gave anyone the right to declare someone “impure”?
This is not merely about Mallikarjun Kharge. The real question is: What message does this incident send to the millions of ordinary Indians who have faced the humiliation of untouchability for generations?
That is why this is a question confronting the entire nation. My appeal is that this incident should disturb the conscience of every one of us.
The BJP has said that slogans allegedly raised at Kharge’s meeting hurt the sentiments of those who believe in Sanatana Dharma.
If objectionable slogans were indeed raised, take action against those who shouted them. The law exists. The police exist. The Constitution exists. Their own government is in power there.
But how does anyone acquire the right to declare another human being “impure” merely because someone has a political or religious objection to something?
Karnataka has a long history of fighting such a mindset
Karnataka has fought against such a filthy mindset for generations. It has a history going back a thousand years. Ours is the land of Pampa, the land of Basavanna, the land of Kanakadasa, the land of Sarvajna. Kuvempu articulated here the philosophy of “Manujamata, Vishwapatha”—humanity as one’s religion and the world as one’s path. This philosophy and ideal of universal equality is what has inspired our Congress party. We have followed this principle.
When Devaraj Urs was Chief Minister, he inducted people with revolutionary ideas such as B. Basavalingappa into his Cabinet. When Basavalingappa demanded that the practice of carrying human excreta on one’s head should be banned, Urs immediately agreed and said that such a practice should not exist at all.
That is why we call Devaraj Urs a pioneer of social justice. It was Urs who, in 1971, brought Mallikarjun Kharge into electoral politics, fielded him from Gurmitkal and helped him win the election.
Even in the present government, we have made Basavanagowda? Basavantappa, from the Dalit community, the Muzrai Minister. This too is consistent with the Congress party’s opposition to the caste system. For this, I congratulate Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
If a venue where a prominent leader—someone who has been in politics for more than six decades – participated is subjected to “purification,” then the question naturally arises: What must be the condition of ordinary Dalits in this country?
It also raises the question: What kind of society are we trying to build?
Encouragement for atrocities to recur
Even today, between 50,000 and 57,000 such cases are being reported in the country every year. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan occupy the top two positions. NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) records indicate that such incidents occur once every 16 minutes.
Since most cases remain at the investigation stage itself, such atrocities continue to recur. Therefore, when the Central Government merely makes token statements against such incidents, or says that it distances itself from such incidents, it indirectly encourages the recurrence of such atrocities.
Our fight here is not merely against this one incident; it is against the mindset behind such incidents. Simply because there is a right-wing government at the Centre, people with such a mindset use the pretext of “purification” to practise the caste system and perpetuate the varna system.
In my view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have expressed his strong opposition to this incident. That would have demonstrated his concern for the Dalit community.
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