Dalits in India @ whatisindia.com

India is a complex nation with more languages and ethnic groups. This lack of progress is not due to the lack of political representation, denial of education, or a wanton denial of opportunities to Dalits. India has had a President, two Chief Ministers, several Federal and State-level cabinet ministers, members of Federal and State-level elected representatives, local bodies called Panchayats, researchers, scholars, journalists, scientists, professors, artists, writers, etc who are Dalits. There are several political parties (such as the Bahujan Samaj Party) that claim to be Dalit owned, operated, and whose raison d’etre is to espouse the Dalit cause. There are several political parties, which claim to be ideologically aligned to Dalits and geared towards social reengineering (such as the DMK, AIADMK, Communist parties, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Part, etc).

News Analysis

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References

• Dalits in India

• Ambedkar

• Dalits Network

Caste had nothing to do with 1857 events - by Aravind Sitaraman

Dalits in India - by Aravind Sitaraman

Sixty-year-old Yacoob thanked Allah as he spontaneously knelt on the floor of the special court trying the Coimbatore blast case. (Trial And Error , Telegraph, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 07, 2007)

Tamil Nadu enacts a law granting separate reservation for Muslims and Christians in the Backward Classes quota. (Reservation For Minorities, Frontline, S. Viswanathan, Nov 07, 2007)

“WORK for every hand, bread for every stomach, land for the landless, protection for small farmers and traders, change in the present economic policies.” (Rallying Forces For Land, Frontline, Purnima S. Tripathi, Nov 07, 2007)

The Indian Left is much larger than its most visible face, the Communist Party of India (Marxist). It is split three ways, each currently pointing in three directions. (Left With An Alternative, Asian Age, M.J. Akbar, Nov 05, 2007)

The danger gong has been sounded once again, this time by the UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook report… The human species is living beyond its means on a planet with limited resources. (Other Voices - Indian Press, Dawn, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)

An outrageous incident of inhuman behaviour that would shame any civilised person has been reported from Kanpur where two women in urgent need of medical attention were thrown out of a Government hospital. (Criminal Deed, Pioneer, Editorial, The Pioneer, Nov 03, 2007)

Based on the recommendations of the Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee on improving the socio-economic conditions of minorities in India, the UPA government has decided to establish an Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). (Beyond Lip Service, Hindustan Times, Editorial, HindustanTimes, Nov 02, 2007)

To be quiet is not to be ineffectual. Not if close to 25,000 people remain quiet and determined. (Different Walk, Telegraph, Editorial, The Telegraph, Oct 31, 2007)

The welfare of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes is an explosive issue that needs the direct attention of the head of the elected government. (Planning Process And The Marginalised, Hindu, D. Raja, Oct 31, 2007)

Janadesh-2007, the march of nearly 25,000 landless tillers, labourers, Dalits and tribals, who have been deprived of their land rights, reached the Capital on Sunday with the resolve that they would not return unless the Government accepted their . . . . (Janadesh Rally Resolves To Fight For Land Rights, Hindu, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 29, 2007)

“We need a Hindi version of Citizen Kane. The time is right for it. (Hindi Print Media, Hindu, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 23, 2007)

The presence of members of the Schedule Caste in the public sector as well as in educational institutions is largely because of the state's reservation policy. (Muslims Lag For Lack Of Leaders, Pioneer, A N Sudarsan Rao , Oct 17, 2007)

Uttar Pradesh's firebrand Chief Minister Mayawati has been profiled by the US magazine Newsweek among eight women leaders worldwide who have reached the top despite all odds, with the dalit leader narrating her struggle to rally the oppressed community. (Mawayati Draws Spotlight In Us , Deccan Herald, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 16, 2007)

I was born into a dalit family in Delhi and grew up with eight siblings in a modest home in a crowded neighbourhood. My father worked as a low-paid clerk, and my mother, an uneducated woman, toiled hard to run the family. (Her People’S Princess, Indian Express, Editorial, Indian Express, Oct 16, 2007)

Uttar Pradesh's firebrand Chief Minister Mayawati has been profiled by the US magazine Newsweek among eight women leaders worldwide who have reached the top despite all odds, with the dalit leader narrating her struggle to rally the oppressed community. ('Maya Among Top 8 Women Leaders' , New Indian Express, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 16, 2007)

The failure of governments at the Centre and in the States to genuinely implement the Special Component Plan has cost Dalits dear. (The Fate Of Special Component Plan, Frontline, S. Viswanathan, Oct 12, 2007)

THE abysmal failure of the governments at the Centre and in the States to fully implement the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan has cost Dalits in India a whopping Rs.3,75,000 crore over a quarter century, according to Dalit activists. (Denial By Design, Frontline, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 12, 2007)

NEPALESE politics is currently going through one of its frequent convulsions, with the popular mood swaying from complete pessimism to cautious optimism. (Maoist Muddle, Frontline, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 11, 2007)

By an unspoken consensus, Muslims have been excluded from the election debate in Gujarat. (The Muslim Question In Gujarat, Hindu, VIDYA SUBRAHMANIAM, Oct 09, 2007)

It is sometimes strange to see the political class, that is supposed to have emerged from the grass roots and represents the masses of India, be so insensitive to the growing disparity between the rich and the poor. (The Pressure Cooker, Asian Age, Seema Mustafa, Oct 08, 2007)