Anti-Dalit canard must stop

It is said that Ram Vilas Paswan is a bellwether of the electoral mood of the country. He has a habit of switching camps on the eve of elections and, invariably, finding himself on the winning side at the end of them. Whether this time too he will behave true to his habit or he will develop cold feet is not known. Also, Prime Minister Modi being made of the sterner stuff, it is not known whether he would put up with the opportunism of his Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. Paswan has demanded that the appointment of Justice A K Goel as the head of the National Green Tribunal be reversed since he was on the Supreme Court bench which had ‘diluted’ the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in its order this March. On the face of it, the demand is so irrational that it should be dismissed out of hand. A judge during the course of his long career passes hundreds of orders, but to impute personal motives and biases is wrong and wholly unwarranted. A reading of the law in question informed by other factors and evidences available dictate such judicial decisions. Not personal prejudices. As we have maintained, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as it is constituted at present has often lent itself to be misused by unscrupulous elements in the police and in the communities sought to be protected. Not unlike the anti-dowry law which was grossly misused to intimidate and blackmail entire families regardless of the lofty objective behind it until the courts stepped in, the SC/ST law too needs a few safeguards against its misuse. Neither in the case of the anti-dowry law nor in the present case of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act was the court motivated by anything other than the vital concern to ensure that innocents were not victimised while genuine sufferers of discrimination and abuse were assured of continued protection under the law. However, the SC order was misconstrued by interested politicians, forcing the Government to constitute a committee to look afresh at the entire gamut of issues involved and to set at rest the misgivings of the SCs/STs. Under the circumstances, the Paswans, his son Chirag, also a Lok Janshakti Party member of the Lok Sabha, have latched on to the SC order to re-establish their own pro-Dalit credentials. Highly opportunistic, Paswan has travelled the entire spectrum of political alliances in his bid to stay with the winning side. He may not have much of an option this time because a) it is still advantage NDA on the electoral front and b) the rival front taking shape in Bihar is not much enamored of his chameleon-type acts. Besides, the LJP could win six Lok Sabha seats, the highest ever, only due to the Modi connect with the voters while Paswan himself has little grassroots support.

Yet, it is not about Paswan alone. The truth is that due to sheer neglect and over-confidence, the present ruling regime has allowed the impression to grow that it is not mindful of the Dalit welfare. Though it has done nothing to harm the Dalit cause, and, in fact, Modi is always at pains to identify himself with the community, directing several welfare schemes for its benefit, a couple of widely publicised incidents on the social media have created the impression that the NDA Government is anti-Dalit. The Una incident in 2016 when a Dalit family was flogged for the alleged skinning of a dead cow became viral on social media, giving an opportunity to the likes of Jignesh Mevani to exploit it for launching his own political career. A couple of other such stray incidents have come in handy for the anti-Modi forces to try and paint the NDA as anti-Dalit. This is surprising since the PM has always gone out of his way to identify himself with the underprivileged sections, particularly Dalits, in his public speeches and in formulating various welfare programmes. But image being important in politics, Modi ought to clear the air on the Dalit question yet again. It is not about the appointment of Justice Goel, it is about the widespread feeling among Dalits that their concerns are being overlooked by the Government. The Prime Minister should reassure the community that its well-being continues to be a paramount priority and it has no reason to feel insecure despite the vested interests spreading all manner of canards to the contrary.